KL Rahul, the 29-year-old who has already proved his batting prowess in all three formats, was named the captain of India’s ODI team for the three-match series against South Africa. The ODI captaincy switch from Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma justifiably drew more eyeballs before KL Rahul stepped into the picture. Rohit Sharma was initially set to lead the ODI team in its first overseas assignment of the year but failed to recover from a hamstring injury for which the reins were handed to KL Rahul.
Rohit Sharma was named ODI captain earlier this month replacing Virat Kohli, was to travel to South Africa as vice-captain for the Test series which began on December 26 but a hamstring injury during training ruled him out. He had taken charge as T20I captain against New Zealand last month.
KL Rahul Deserves Captaincy Role For He Is A Player Who Can Take The Team Forward: Saba Karim
Ex-India wicketkeeper and former BCCI selector Saba Karim has also backed KL Rahul for the leadership role, saying the Karnataka lad’s appointment will augur well for the team.
“This is going to be a very good year for Rahul; that is my wish for him. He deserves that because he is a player who can take the team forward. He knows his place is assured in this team; he is a multi-format player,” said Saba Karim.
“The classy knock he played in the Test match; it was extremely enjoyable watching that. I feel he is a player who can adapt his batting to every format, and that is why this responsibility has been given to KL Rahul.”
KL Rahul will look to continue his rich vein of form with the bat, having scored a ton in the Test series opener against South Africa. The right-handed dashing opening batsman scored 123 & 23 in Centurion to help India record their first-ever Test win at the venue.
Reetinder Singh Sodhi: KL Rahul Deserved Captaincy
Reetinder Singh Sodhi also reiterated that KL Rahul’s “multi-format” facet and his performance for Punjab Kings has helped him evolve as a captaincy candidate. KL Rahul has been leading Punjab Kings since 2020 but has failed to inspire the side into the playoffs in his two seasons as captain. KL Rahul won the orange cap scoring 670 runs at an average of 55.83 in IPL 2020 and followed it up by scoring 626 runs averaging 62.6 in 13 IPL 2021 games.
In the 2021 IPL, he was the third-highest run-getter, but unfortunately, failed to inspire his franchise to a title. KL Rahul has been one of the best openers in IPL since 2018 and scored 659, 593, 670, and 626 runs in the past four seasons, respectively.
“He (Rahul) is a big player. As Saba said, he is a multi-format player, and I think he has an insatiable appetite for runs, whichever format he plays – Test cricket, T20s, or ODIs. He excelled for the Punjab Kings in the IPL last season, made brilliant runs,” he said.
“His bat is not stopping in Test cricket. So he definitely deserved captaincy. Test cricket is still left in South Africa, but we hope that the ODI captaincy suits him, and he keeps on scoring runs like this because he can be a legend of the game,” he added.
After India’s dominant performance in the 1st Test at Centurion, the action now shifts to Johannesburg where the Virat Kohli-led unit will look to seal the country’s maiden Test series win in the Rainbow nation. The second Test between India and South Africa begins on January 3 at the Wanderers Stadium.