Rahul has been stripped of the vice-captaincy for the remaining two Tests against Australia.
Few changes were expected in the Test side, especially in the batting department due to the consistent failures of opener KL Rahul, but the selectors decided to retain the same squad which was named for the first and second Tests.
While Rahul is part of the 17-member squad, no vice-captain tag is added alongside his name for the last two Tests. Notably, he was Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the matches in Nagpur and Delhi.
Amid the recent development, former cricketer Saba Karim has stated that the reason why India haven't announced a vice-captain could be that they are waiting for Rishabh Pant to return.
Pant is set to miss the majority of action this year after being involved in a horrific car crash last December.
"There is a reason why India haven't named a vice-captain. Everybody is waiting for Rishabh Pant to return. He is an ideal candidate for the post of vice-captain. He was being groomed too. We also need to consider who is going to lead in the WTC cycle that starts in two years,” said Karim on India News Sports.
Saba Karim tipped Ravindra Jadeja and Pant as the two real candidates for the post.
"If you ask me, there are only two candidates at the moment: Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. However, the issue with Jadeja is that he has had some injury issues. Pant, on the other hand, hasn't had any major injuries. This accident was quite unfortunate, but apart from that, he has always been fit,” he added.
Karim also opined that he doesn't expect Rahul to be dropped from the XI even though he has lost the vice-captaincy.
"The signal is very clear that he (KL Rahul) has been removed from the vice-captaincy because his performances haven't been up to the mark. However, this doesn't mean that he won't find a place in the playing XI. It's just that you can only be the vice-captain if you perform well. The advantage for KL Rahul is that India have been winning. Things would have been different had India been trailing 2-0. There wouldn't have been any hesitation in dropping Rahul from the team,” said Karim.