KL Rahul On 1st ODI: After Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer were injured and out of the three-match ODI series against South Africa, KL Rahul will be seen leading the team, which will commence on November 30, Sunday, in Ranchi. Rahul was nowhere in the scheme of things, but after their injury, the selectors opted to give him all the important jobs.
In the ODI series against Australia, Shreyas Iyer suffered an injury in the final ODI, while Gill suffered a neck injury in the first test against South Africa in Kolkata. With Rahul being appointed as ODI captain, this won’t be his first time, as he has already led India in 12 ODIs, with the team winning eight games.
“Have Captained The Side Before”: KL Rahul On 1st ODI
KL Rahul revealed that he was told a day before about the official announcement of the squad that an opportunity might come his way.
He said,
“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, and it’s something that’s very exciting. I look forward to enjoying that responsibility. I look forward to going out there and making the right decisions for the team. That’s about it. I don’t think too much about it.”
“I obviously have Rohit, Virat, Jaddu, and all the senior players around me who will help out. How we’ve all played our cricket is to think of it as if we’re all leaders, and we try to do the best for the team. I think that continues whether I’m the captain or someone else is the captain. It’s always a collective effort, and it’s a collective effort to do something in a direction that we have a bigger role in. The right direction is for the ODI team and for Indian cricket. That’s what we all try to do.”
KL Rahul also said that the team would look to move on from the 0-2 whitewash against South Africa and play some good cricket in ODIs against the Proteas.
He said,
“The players are different; the setup is different. We won’t carry that. Obviously, the test team will be disappointed and hurt that we couldn’t do well in Guwahati and Kolkata. But it’s important that we forget that and focus on this series.”
“We haven’t played a lot of one-day matches since the Champions Trophy. So, it’ll be important that we catch that rhythm and try to get that momentum of playing one-day cricket and performing in ODI cricket.”
KL Rahul To Bat At No. 6 In 1st ODI vs South Africa
The 33-year-old wicketkeeper batter also confirmed that he would be batting at No. 6 in the ODIs against South Africa.
He said,
“I have been playing at number 6 since the Champions Trophy, so I will be batting there.”
Rahul was also asked about whether Rishabh Pant will be getting a place in the playing XI for the first ODI or not. It was also seen in the Champions Trophy 2025 that he didn’t play a single match.
KL Rahul said,
“We’re still discussing. Obviously, we haven’t got that much time from Guwahati to come here to have conversations and fix our 11. We’ve had a few conversations, me and GG bhai. We’ll probably have a little bit of a conversation right now and finalize it. Today, probably in the evening, and let the players know whoever is playing to be ready,” said Rahul.
“He’s been with the team for a long time. Everyone has seen what he brings and what he can do for the team. As I told him, for the players who are already in the team and who are performing, sometimes you just have to wait for your opportunity. You’ll find out tomorrow who will be left behind. Obviously, he’s good enough to play as a batter as well. But if he’s in the 11, he’ll take the gloves, and I’ll be in the field.”
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