KL Rahul vice captain: KL Rahul replaces Rohit Sharma as vice-captain for Test series in South Africa

KL Rahul vice captain: The Indian batter will play the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa as Virat Kohli’s deputy.

India batter Lokesh Rahul has been promoted as the vice-captain of the Test team for the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa. Rahul, who will be deputy to captain Virat Kohli, has replaced white-ball captain Rohit Sharma, who was officially announced the Test vice-captain in the original squad.

While it was the first time that Sharma was named Kohli’s deputy in Test cricket, the former had replaced his Mumbai teammate Ajinkya Rahane as the Test vice-captain. Struggling for runs at the highest level for almost a year now, Rahane had been relieved of the leadership position for the tour of South Africa.

With Sharma missing the Test series in South Africa due to a hamstring injury, the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee has entrusted Rahul with the responsibility.

Rahul, 29, had been Sharma’s deputy in a three-match T20I series against New Zealand at home last month. The first time that Rahul has traveled as a vice-captain with the white-ball Indian team was during India’s tour of Australia last year.

KL Rahul vice captain

“The All-India Senior selection committee has named KL Rahul as vice-captain for the upcoming 3-match Test series against South Africa. KL Rahul replaces Rohit Sharma as vice-captain, who was ruled out of the Test series owing to a hamstring injury,” BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) said it an official release.

🇮🇳 @klrahul11 has been announced as the vice-captain for the #INDvSA Test series, in place of the injured Rohit Sharma!#SAvIND #KLRahul #BharatArmy

— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) December 18, 2021

Rahul’s rise in the Test team has been a swift one for he hadn’t played a Test match for almost a couple of years before making a comeback on England tour earlier this year.

A concussion injury to Rahul’s Karnataka teammate Mayank Agarwal before the first Test at Trent Bridge had opened the way for Rahul returning to the Playing XI as an opening batter. Not letting go of the opportunity, Rahul finished the series as India’s second-highest run-scorer with his 315 runs in eight innings coming at an average of 39.37 including a century and half-century each.

In Sharma’s absence, Rahul will open the innings with Agarwal in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion scheduled to begin from December 26.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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