Ajinkya Rahane led India to a 2-1 Test series win over Australia in Virat Kohli's absence.
Former India wicketkeeper-batsman and national selector Saba Karim said that the discussions surrounding Virat Kohli's captaincy are “quite unnecessary” but urged the selectors to constantly communicate with him and find out if he is comfortable being at the helm in all three formats of the game.
There has been a debate amongst former cricketers that Ajinkya Rahane should become India's Test captain after the Mumbaikar led India to a famous Test series win in Australia last month while Kohli was away on paternity leave.
Rubbishing questions over Kohli's leadership acumen, Karim said India should feel blessed to have two great leaders in the team rather than discussing to elevate vice-captain Rahane.
Karim told Sportskeeda: “To be honest, I feel all such discussions are quite unnecessary. We should feel blessed because we have 2 senior players who can lead the side: Virat Kohli as captain and Ajinkya Rahane as vice-captain. And it is good to have diverse personalities in a team as leaders.”
He further added, “One lead with so much aggression, the other is very calm but the result is the same and both are extremely effective. They know how to handle tough situations and how to inspire their colleagues and that's what India needs at this stage.
At the same time, I feel that it is equally important for the selectors to have this constant engagement with Virat in the terms of his responsibilities as a captain in all three formats. You have to allow that kind of space to a player like Virat Kohli who has led the side with distinction for so many years.”
He further asked, “Is he comfortable leading all three formats? Because this is the year we play the T20 World Cup, we have the ODI World Cup coming up, plus the Test matches are now part of a World Test series. Is he happy with the kind of responsibility that is given to him?”
Karim signed off, “If you have this kind of conversation with the captain, I am sure Virat, Rahane, and the team management will come up with the right kind of solution to ease the pressure on Virat.”