Rishabh Pant is expected to be the Indian vice-captain for the rescheduled Test match in England in the absence of KL Rahul. Rahul suffered a groin injury while preparing for the T20I series against South Africa and will miss the Test match.
Pant would support the captain Rohit Sharma in the leadership role. Jasprit Bumrah was also a choice for vice-captaincy but according to Insidesport, selectors have decided to appoint Rishabh Pant as Rohit’s deputy. Rishabh is also the captain of the Indian T20I team in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.
KL Rahul played a crucial role in the 2-1 lead of the Indian team in the test series in England. He gave brilliant starts to the Indian team in the test series. It won’t be easy to replace him as an opener in the last test match. According to reports, Mayank Agarwal has been put on standby as a replacement for Rahul.
“Mayank has been put on standby for England tour. We have asked the team management if they need a replacement for Rahul. We should get an answer by 19th. In that case, Mayank will fly to UK with the second batch. But it’s not finalised yet. Rishabh will be vice-captain,” a senior BCCI official said to InsideSport.in.
KL Rahul to miss Test match in England
The talismanic run-scorer has been suffering from frequent injuries in recent times. Rahul was appointed as India captain for the Proteas series but he suffered a groin injury while preparing for the T20I series against South Africa.
It ruled him out of the five-match T20I series against South Africa too. It would be tough for him to get fit till 1st July. A BCCI official said:
“Rahul has not recovered from his groin injury. The Test squad members are assembling in Mumbai today and will fly out midnight. Rahul is not travelling with the team. He will take some more time to recover, although he might appear in a fitness test during the weekend. Chances of recovery aren’t looking bright.”
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