The hosts Bangladesh take on team India in a two-match Test series that will begin on December 14 on the heels of the three-match ODI series. Stand-in captain KL Rahul expressed his opinions on the vice-captaincy position given to seasoned batter Cheteshwar Pujara while admitting he was unaware of the selection procedure.
Abhimanyu Easwaran and Cheteshwar Pujara were two unexpected additions to the team after Rohit Sharma was ruled out. However, the decision to name Pujara the vice-captain has left many supporters perplexed. At a pre-match briefing, KL Rahul was asked about the decision of naming the seasoned batter as his deputy for the series. Rahul responded in a very courteous way, saying he had no idea what the “conditions” were.
“I at least don’t know what the criteria are. Whoever is picked, you give yourself a pat on the back and continue. Even for me, when I become the vice-captain, you get happy that I have the responsibility of the team. It really doesn’t change too many things. Everybody in the team knows their roles and responsibilities and how much the team appreciates their contribution,” told the stand-in skipper. Rahul also commended Pujara and Rishabh Pant for their prior sideline contributions. In addition, he stressed that the players must work together no matter the outcome of the game.
“Rishabh and Pujji (Pujara) have both been brilliant for us in Test cricket. They have done the job so many times. So, we don’t really think so much. Whoever is appointed, tries to take responsibility and we carry on as a team. The team wins as 11 players and when we go down, we go down as a whole team,” added Rahul. Team India will be hoping for favorable outcomes in the red-ball match in order to secure a place in the ICC World Test Championship summit match for the years 2021–2023. The Men in Blue have a good chance of reaching the competition’s finals with six Test matches still to play until the WTC Final, and the Bangladesh series might help them get there.
