The notable exclusions of Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav have generated significant discussion, alongside Ajinkya Rahane’s reappointment as India’s Test vice-captain. After a period of poor form, Rahane made a comeback into the Indian Test team for the World Test Championship final. Despite India’s loss to Australia, Rahane demonstrated excellent batting skills in both innings, scoring 89 and 46, respectively. As a result of his impressive performance, the experienced batter has been named India’s vice-captain for the upcoming West Indies Tests.
Aakash Chopra acknowledged Rahane’s remarkable comeback, but also emphasized that his strong performance was limited to a single game. It is important to remember that Rahane was dropped from the team due to consistent underwhelming performances. While his story is inspiring, Chopra raises concerns about Rahane’s age and whether his appointment as vice-captain is a long-term strategy. It is worth considering that the same scrutiny applied to Cheteshwar Pujara should also be applied to Ajinkya Rahane, as both players have experienced dips in their performances over the past few years.