India's stand-in captain KL Rahul will be shouldering the big responsibility of leading the Men in Blue's pack in the three-ODI against South Africa. Rahul was named the stand-in captain for the 50-over matches against the Temba Bavuma-led side after both Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer were ruled out due to injuries.
KL Rahul to bat at no.6 in ODI series against South Africa
The absences of Gill and Iyer created voids in the Indian batting lineup. Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury during the Eden Gardens Test against South Africa, while Shreyas Iyer lacerated his spleen during the preceding tour of Australia, and both players are expected to be sidelined for a while. However, addressing the press ahead of the ODI series opener, KL Rahul provided clarity on his own role.
Rahul revealed at which number he will be batting in the upcoming series against the Proteas. He made it very clear that there will be no change in his batting position, despite the key absences. The captain confirmed he will continue to bat at No.6.
"I have not finalised the exact XI yet. I have been playing at number six since the Champions Trophy, so I will be batting there. And obviously, we have all-rounders like Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy - all these options are available to us. We will see what the best XI is and make that decision in the evening, and you'll know tomorrow," Rahul said at the pre-match press conference.
I look forward to enjoying that responsibility: Rahul on captaincy responsibility
The 33-year-old then disclosed that he was apprised about his appointment as captain of the team just a day before the official announcement was made, and he subsequently expressed his excitement about leading the side. Furthermore, Rahul acknowledged that having experienced players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja in the squad would be extremely helpful to him throughout the series.
"Just a day before the announcement, I was told that the opportunity might come and I might have to lead. I have captained the side before. It is something that is very exciting. I look forward to enjoying that responsibility. I have always enjoyed responsibility, making the right decisions for the team. That's about it. I don't think too much about it," he added.
"I obviously have Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli), Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja), all the senior players around me who will help out. How we have all played our cricket is to think of it as we are all leaders and we try and do the best for the team. That continues whether I am captain or someone else is captain. It is always a collective effort to doing something in the direction of a bigger goal," Rahul concluded.