KL Rahul on Cheteshwar Pujara’s appointment as vice-captain: “Don’t know what the criteria is”

Team India’s stand-in skipper KL Rahul had a strange response to a question about Cheteshwar Pujara being appointed as the vice-captain for the first Test against Bangladesh ahead of Rishabh Pant.

Caught slightly off-guard by the query, he replied that he was not aware of the exact criteria of selection, but added that whoever is picked is delighted to take over the responsibility.

On Sunday, December 11, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Pujara as the vice-captain for the first Test against Bangladesh, with Rahul being elevated to the captain’s role for the match. The change has been forced since regular skipper Rohit Sharma is unavailable for the opening Test of the series due to a thumb injury.

There were mixed reactions to Pujara being named as vice-captain for the first Test against Bangladesh, even though Pant is also part of the squad. Asked about the decision, Rahul said at a pre-series conference on Monday, December 12:

“I at least don’t know what the criteria is. 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 you 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."

Praising both Pant and Pujara for their contributions, Rahul added:

“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, he tries to take the 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.”

Pujara was dropped from the Indian Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka earlier this year. However, following a stellar county stint, he was recalled for the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham.

---

“Shubman’s been a brilliant player” - KL Rahul

In Rohit’s absence, young batter Shubman Gill is likely to open the batting with stand-in skipper Rahul. Asked about his observation of Gill’s growth as a player, the 30-year-old asserted:

“Shubman’s been a brilliant player. How he’s transformed and how he is getting better at his game is just wonderful to see. In Test matches, whenever he has got the opportunity, he has done the job. He has a temperament for the long format. In every format that he has played, he’s really exciting.”

Gill has so far scored 579 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 30.47 with four half-centuries and a best of 91.