'Out 18 months and straightaway becomes vice-captain': Ganguly baffled by BCCI's unexpected Rahane call, warns selectors

It was quite the surprise when the BCCI fell back on Ajinkya Rahane when it announced India's squad for the World Test Championships final against Australia. Rahane had not played Test cricket for almost a year and a half, but with injuries to KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer and Rahane showing some spanking form for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, perhaps the BCCI decided to try and give the veteran India batter one last chance. He had the experience of playing in England, having been on two previous tours to the UK – including scoring a century at Lord's in 2014.

And come the final, Rahane repaid the faith of the selectors by top scoring for India with 89 in the first innings and chipping in with another 46 in the second. In an otherwise forgettable result for India, Rahane's form and resurgence was the only saving grace, so much so that the selectors not only repicked him for the West Indies tour but even made him the vice-captain. Yes, in the rarest of rare cases, a 35-year-old deputy to a 36-year-old captain.

Usually, vice-captains in India are youngsters, who are given the position believing that he is going to be the next India captain – such as Virat Kohli was to Dhoni, or even Rahane to Kohli. This call just seemed a bit off. Among the many surprised by the decision is former India captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who found Rahane's elevation to vice-captaincy 'tough to understand'.

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"Yeah, I think so," Ganguly told PTI when asked was Shubman Gill a vice-captaincy option. "I won't say it's a step backward. You have been out for 18 months, then you play a Test and you become a vice-captain. I don't understand the thought process behind it. There is Ravindra Jadeja, who has been there for a long time and a certainty in Test matches, he is a candidate."

Ganguly's warning: 'Don't make hot and cold selections'

Before the WTC final, Rahane last played for India in January of 2022 during the tour of South Africa – Kohli's last Test series as captain which the team lost 1-2. Ever since, Rahane had been grinding out in the domestic circuit, but barring a couple of centuries – one against Assam and the other, a double ton against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy – hadn't exactly set the tournament on fire. Rahane was even demoted in the BCCI's list of Central Contracts. All the more reason to question BCCI's decision.

However, at the same time, another theory is that Rahane's elevation could possibly be a stop-gap arrangement. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah are sidelined due to injuries. Jadeja, as Ganguly mentioned, is 34 – the same age as Kohli, while Gill is yet to cement his place in India's Test XI, let alone being trusted with vice-captaincy – he doesn't even captain in the IPL. But despite our attempts of finding logic behind this call, Ganguly has his apprehensions and had a crucial advice for the selectors.

"To just come back and straightway become vice-captain after 18 months, I don't understand. My only thing is that selection shouldn't be hot and cold. There has to be continuity and consistency in selection," Ganguly pointed out.