'Making him captain or....' - Ex-India stumper on Rahul replacing Dhawan as skipper for Zimbabwe tour

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) roped in KL Rahul in India's squad for the tour of Zimbabwe, where a second-stringed side will play three ODIs. While announcing Rahul's presence for the African tour, BCCI also named him the captain; removing Shikhar Dhawan from the post.

Initially, Dhawan was named in-charge of the second-stringed side for the Zimbabwe series. However, with Rahul regaining fitness -- coming from asports hernia surgery and Covid-19 -- the board announced the regular white-ball vice-captain as the leader for the Zimbabwe tour. Former Indian stumper Saba Karim has now opened up on this sudden change in leadership and remains unimpressed.

“KL Rahul should have played the series only as a member, making him captain or vice-captain is not that important. He is coming after a long break. Shikhar Dhawan is a senior member of the squad who has delivered in white-ball cricket. You have to give him importance once you make the announcement as captain," Karim was quoted as saying by India News Sports.

“I would like to add that Shikhar led the side very well against West Indies in the ODI series. He was also decent with the bat. India whitewashed the series with a bunch of youngsters. A lot of them performed very well under his captaincy. Dhawan looked in complete control, whether it was the field setup, tactics, or strategy. He inspired the youngsters as a leader," the former chief selectoradded.

“The kind of change in captaincy trend is strange and questionable. Such decisions need to be taken very cautiously. There is no need to rush as it is associated with a team environment, you need to build the team spirit. A captain begins to think about his plans for upcoming matches and then you suddenly make a change. It affects the morale of the cricketer," said Karim.

Dhawan had led India in the ODIs during their recent tour of West Indies in Rohit Sharma's absence and will now act as Rahul's deputy for the Zimbabwe series, which kicks off on August 18.

It is believed that Rahul was roped in, as soon as he was declared fully fit, as the right-hander hasn't played an international since early 2022. Before the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, the selectors and team management are keen on giving some much-needed game time to the dashing opener.