KL Rahul is going through a purple patch that players dream of. By this time last year, Rahul wasn’t in India’s Test eleven and was being shuffled in the limited-overs side. He was even dropped during the home T20I series against England.
But, another thunderous IPL season helped him retain his spot as the opener in the shortest format. Luck, too, came to his aid when Mayank Agarwal missed the first Test against England due to a concussion on the eve of the match.
He impressed in the first Test with the bat, showcasing his improved technique and temperament before slamming a century in the second. Rahul has since made giant strides across formats.
When Rohit Sharma missed out on the South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury, KL Rahul was promoted as the Test vice-captain and was also named the captain for the ODI series.
He stroked another terrific century in the first Test against South Africa before being asked to lead the side in the second due to injury to Virat Kohli. Rahul is also in contention to be made the full-time Test captain after Kohli relinquished his post after the South Africa series.
KL Rahul creates a rare record:
On Wednesday, when KL Rahul stepped on the field to lead India, in Paarl, for the first time in ODI cricket, he became only the third Indian player to captain the country in the 50-over format without ever having captained in ‘List A’ cricket previously.
The other two India players who achieved this rare feat before Rahul are wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani and former swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag.
This is also Rahul’s 39th ODI; the last time a player led India before playing 50 ODIs was Mohinder Amarnath in his 35th ODI in October 1984.
South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, won the toss and elected to bat first on a dry surface. Rahul said he would have batted first too.
In absence of Rohit, KL Rahul will open alongside Shikhar Dhawan. However, it would be interesting to see if Rahul is again sent to the middle-order when Sharma returns as India plan for the 2023 World Cup.
