IND vs AUS: Revealed! Why KL Rahul has been axed as India's vice-captain for remaining Tests

India defeated Australia on Day 3 of the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi on Sunday (February 19). The day kicked off with Australia being well-placed at 61 for 1, with an overall lead of 62 runs, but fell flat on the third day after being dismissed for a paltry 113. Ravindra Jadeja (7 for 42) wreaked havoc with the red cherry before Rohit Sharma & Co. chased down a target of 114 with six wickets in hand. With the win, India have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 2022/23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and BCCI later named an unchanged squad for the last two Tests.

However, there was one big update. Indian opener KL Rahul was axed as the vice-captain amid his form concerns. It is to be noted that the stylish right-hander has only managed 198 runs in the last 12 innings. In the ongoing Test series versus the Baggy Greens, he has atotal of 38 runs in three innings and has looked completely out of sorts. Thus, it is believed that he paid a price for his poor run of form and has been sacked as Rohit's deputy.As per a report by The Indian Express, the management has sought to unburden Rahul from the leadership role.

It is to be noted that Rahul has served as Rohit's deputy ever since Hitman became India's full-time captain in early 2022. He led the national side in three Tests, six ODIs and one T20I in 2022 and served as India's white-ball vice-captain before losing the post to Hardik Pandya last month. Hence, he is now completely out of the leadership group and will have to step up with the bat to regain the vice-captaincy post, at least,in whites.

Amid his poor run of form, Rahul still has the support of captain Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid. After the Delhi Test, Rohit told in the post-match press conference, "Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Rahul’s batting. As team management, we always look at the potential of any individual, not just KL. I have been asked this in the past about a lot of players. If a guy has potential, he will get that extended run."

On the other hand, Dravid told Star Sports, "Ithink he (Rahul) needs to trust his processes. This is just a phase, he has been one of our most successful overseas openers. He’s got centuries in South Africa and England, we’ll continue to back him. I believe he has the quality and class to come out of this."