Why Ravichandran Ashwin was snubbed from vice-captain role for India?

The selectors also dropped Cheteshwar Pujara after his poor run continued in the WTC Final and reappointed Ajinkya Rahane as the vice-captain for the West Indies series.

Rahane, who has rejuvenated his India career, made it to the WTC squad courtesy of injuries to Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, but emerged as best batter in the WTC Final against Australia. He was India’s top scorer in the match and looked in terrific touch in both innings, thus further warranting his inclusion for the Caribbean tour.

It may not be a no brainer in terms of Rahane’s selection, but him deputising Rohit Sharma in the Tests has risen some eyebrows. Despite Rahane’s excellent record as India captaincy in the past, him getting the vice-captain role ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin is a bit surprising.

Ashwin has prior captaincy experience with IPL teams and TNPL teams, and with a blend of aggression coupled with knowledge of the game, the off-spinner can be a perfect foil for Rohit Sharma. But the selectors denied him the opportunity yet again from a potential leadership role, but why is that?

If we dissect Ashwin’s continuous snub from leadership roles, we can grind out many reasons. Lets have a look at those-

Ashwin is ‘not a regular’ in Overseas

Ravichandran Ashwin is a stalwart of the game, but has found himself unwanted in the overseas Test matches recently. The off-spinner has played four Tests in West Indies, all of which came in 2016. And the dilemma of his selection in the Caribbean where team India may go with one spinner can be the reason why Ashwin was not selected as vice-captain.

But Ashwin’s multifaceted role makes him a player who can be utilized with both his batting and bowling. Hence it’s baffling why India may be tempted to play a team which doesn’t have the Tamil Nadu player in it.

And for the curious mind, how did Ashwin fare in those 4 Tests in West Indies? He picked up 17 wickets with the ball and batted with an average of 58.75 in four innings, where he managed 235 runs including two centuries.

Ashwin’s recent interview with a dig at team atmosphere

Ashwin was dropped from the Indian team for the WTC Final against Australia. India had a dismal defeat in the match and after that, the off-spinner expressed his disappointment in an interview. And along with the disappointment, the player also took a certain dig regarding team India’s atmosphere.

“This is an era where everybody is a colleague. Once upon a time when cricket was played, all your teammates were friends. Now, they’re colleagues. There’s a big difference because here people are there to advance themselves and to stride ahead of another person sitting to your right or left,” Ashwin said recently in an interview with Indian Express.

Has this interview curbed his chances as a vice-captain for the Indian team in West Indies? It may well be.