Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul is not confirmed to lead India in ODI series against Sri Lanka next month even if Rohit Sharma opts out of the tour. Rahul who led India in the ODI series against South Africa following the ODI World Cup 2023 final loss to Australia was expected to don the captaincy hat in Sri Lanka. However, as per a report by PTI, Shubman Gill has emerged as another contender for the leadership role, especially after the 4-1 series win against Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has asked for a leave from the ODI series. Pandya has communicated it to Rohit as well.
"The break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. Hardik doesn't have any fitness issue as is being floated in the media," the official said.
Rahul’s record as ODI captain
Rahul has led India in 12 ODIs from 2022 to 2023. He was handed the captaincy on the tour to South Africa as Rohit was ruled out due to an injury. He has led India in 12 ODIs, winning eight of them. His last ODI appearance was as captain against South Africa in December 2023. Sanju Samson's century and Arshdeep Singh's four-fer helped India beat Aiden Markram's South Africa by 78 runs.
Rahul’s vague explanation to Mishra
While the selectors are yet to announce the squads for Sri Lanka tour, Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) teammate Amit Mishra has questioned his captaincy for giving him just one game in the Indian Premier League.
“He told me we want to include you in the team but couldn’t, I had nothing to add after this statement. We were getting bashed in each game and there was no spinner who was actually winning us games through wicket-taking ability or blocking runs like Sunil Narine does for KKR, I feel I deserved to play,” the leggie told Shubhankar Mishra on podcast.
Mishra predicts Rahul won’t captain LSG
LSG failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time. The Lucknow-based franchise had seven wins from 14 games but their net run rate (NRR) was inferior to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) who had 14 points as well. The 41-year-old Mishra does not believe that LSG will retain him as captain ahead of mega auction.
“It does not matter if he is on the Indian team or not. But a person who has the right mentality for T20s should be the captain. I am sure LSG will look for a better captain,” Mishra opined.
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