'It was selectors' call, nothing was in my control' - Ajinkya Rahane on Test vice-captaincy sacking

Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has had a tough time in the last two years and to add to his misery, he was replaced from the vice-captaincy role in Tests, ahead of the South Africa tour.

The 33-year-old hasn’t been as consistent as in the past and is on the verge of losing out his place in the side as well. He managed 136 runs in six innings in the tour to South Africa and 2021 has been one of the least productive years for him.

Owing to his lean patch, the selectors had decided to hand Rohit the Test vice-captaincy following his stupendous record in the longer format once he came up the order. It did surprise many of the experts, as Rahane has been tremendous in terms of his captaincy for India in five Tests and hasn’t lost a game yet.

Recently, the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had advised Rahane to take part in the upcoming Ranji season and the right-hander has been named in the Mumbai squad as well.

Nothing was in my control: Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane, in a chat with TOI, was questioned if he was consulted before the change in vice-captaincy and he noted that it was a decision from the selectors. He added that Rohit has done really well to take up the role and felt happy for his mate and concluded that he respected the decision from selectors.

“That was entirely the selectors’ decision (making Rohit the vice-captain). Nothing was in my control. I respect that decision. Rohit is doing really well and he is leading the team really well. I was happy for Rohit. He played a lot of cricket to get there. We are good friends too. I am really happy for Rohit.

“I don’t think about something that is not in my control. It was selectors’ call. Selectors made me the vice-captain and they made me the captain too. Making Rohit the vice-captain was their decision and I completely respect that,” Rahane said.

Following the 1-2 series loss to South Africa, Virat Kohli stepped down from captaincy and a new skipper is yet to be named, although Rohit remains the strong contender for it. India will play a home test series against Sri Lanka and the likes of Rahane and Pujara might be overlooked for the series with the experienced duo’s current form not helping India’s cause.