Team India lost the first Test against South Africa in Cape Town by 72 runs in three days. The loss was more spotlighted thanks to some surprise selection decisions from the Indian team management.

Selection of Rohit Sharma over Ajinkya Rahane and Jasprit Bumrah over Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav raised lots of questions, than it answered. Thankfully Bumrah performed exceptionally well to quash the voices of dissent.

The most bizarre decision was to bench Ajinkya Rahane, who has a brilliant record overseas and playing Rohit Sharma in his place. The decision sparked intense debate amongst experts and fans about recent form vs. established record argument, the reason that was given by Virat Kohli.

Now TOI has confirmed that sense has prevailed and KL Rahul will replace Shikhar Dhawan in the second Test at Centurion and will partner M Vijay. Dhawan looked to go on offensive from the start, instead of getting his eye in and never looked comfortable against the short of length bowling by South African pacers.  Neither did he help his case in the field, dropping Keshav Maharaj, who scored important runs lower down the order for South Africa.

Vijay might keep his place in the playing XI thanks to his previous experience of playing in the South African conditions; but things will get clear once Virat and Ravi Shastri get to Centurion.

Rohit Sharma is most likely to keep his place, because he scored a century and two fifites against Sri Lanka recently. Rahane on the other hand had failed to make runs in the same series and might not play in the second Test as well.

The team's logic over Sharma's inclusion is simple: By dropping him, what message do they convey to a batsman who scored an unbeaten century and two half-centuries (one unbeaten) in the only two Test matches he played in 2017.