5 surprising captaincy decisions by Virat Kohli in 2018

#2 Dropping Ajinkya Rahane for the first two Tests against South Africa

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is one of the most consistent cricketers in the longest format of the game, especially in overseas conditions. However, he was dropped by the Indian skipper Kohli for the first two Tests against South Africa in early 2018.

The Indian team included Rohit Sharma to replace Rahane in the playing XI. However, the decision backfired as Rohit could only score 11 and 10 in the first and second innings of the first Test.

Kohli committed the same mistake in the second Test and India lost the game as the hosts went on to seal the series. Rahane was included in the XI for the third and final game and he scored 48 on a tough pitch to take his team home.