India opener KL Rahul said that he would be honoured if he gets the opportunity to lead his country in Test Cricket. Rahul stated that it’s a dream come true moment for any player and he is no different.
After the 3-match Test series against South Africa, Virat Kohli had decided to step down from Test captaincy after his 7-year tenure. Since then rumours and reports have been floating around who should take over from him? Rohit Sharma has already been appointed captain in both white-ball formats and since he has faced quite a few fitness issues of late, Rahul’s name emerged as a strong contender for the job.
On the eve of the first ODI match against South Africa, KL Rahul, who is stand-in captain for the series, spoke on length about his ambitions about captaincy.
“To lead the country is a dream come true for any player and something special that he will cherish for a long time. I am no different,” Rahul said.
“It will be a huge responsibility if it is given to me and something that’s really exciting for me but I am not really looking for anything at this time but if it happens to come, I will try my best to carry Team India and Indian cricket forward to the best of my abilities. For now, I am focussing on the ODI series against South Africa,” he added.
“Leading India in the Johannesburg Test was a special experience”- KL Rahul
Rahul admitted that he’s aware of some media reports in which his name has been emerged out as a candidate for new test captain.
“I hadn’t given it a thought till the articles with names started doing round,” he said.
Rahul led India in the second test match at Johannesburg when Virat Kohli was ruled out of the match due to an upper back spasm.
“I had the opportunity to lead the Test team in Johannesburg which was something really special, obviously, the result was not in our favour but it was a great learning experience for me which I will always be proud of,” he added.
Speaking about his captaincy plans, Rahul said that he’s not someone who had lots of planning. He would like to take one game at a time.
“I am not someone who has a lot of plans. I don’t really have targets. I just like to take it one game at a time that’s how I played my cricket as a player and that’s how I will like to lead the team as well,” he said.
The first match between India and South Africa will begin on January 19 at Paarl.
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