(BCCI Credit)
Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian Cricket Team, is likely to miss the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Reports indicate that Hardik Pandya’s absence due to personal reasons opens the door for KL Rahul to assume the captaincy temporarily.
Rahul, who has captained India in ODIs before, benefits from his prior experience with Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach, during their time together at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL. This familiarity could play a crucial role in Rahul’s potential appointment to the highly anticipated leadership position in the Indian team.
KL Rahul is expected to take on the role of India’s interim ODI captain.
Media reports indicate that Gautam Gambhir has made his preference clear for the interim captaincy role during India’s upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, given Rohit Sharma’s anticipated absence. The BCCI is expected to unveil the T20I and ODI squads for the tour on July 17.
Shubman Gill, who recently captained India in T20Is against Zimbabwe, along with Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, are reportedly the leading contenders for the ODI captaincy in Rohit’s stead. With Sharma likely opting for a break ahead of a busy Test schedule, the responsibility of leading the Men in Blue in the ODI series against Sri Lanka appears to be falling on Rahul.
Rahul’s seasoned experience as a leader and his adeptness in captaining, coupled with his understanding of Gautam Gambhir’s coaching approach, position him as the most fitting candidate to helm the team during the forthcoming Sri Lanka series.
Dodda Ganesh supports KL Rahul for the ODI captaincy during the Sri Lanka tour.
Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Dodda Ganesh has thrown his weight behind KL Rahul for the ODI captaincy role. Ganesh expressed a strong opinion, asserting that selecting Rahul as both India’s wicketkeeper and captain for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, commencing on August 2 in Colombo, is an obvious choice.
Ganesh shared his views on the microblogging site X on July 17. Dodda Ganesh posted on X: “KL Rahul should be the WK and captain for the ODI leg of the tour of SL. It’s a no-brainer. #SLvIND.”
KL Rahul’s recent international cricket appearances highlight his activity in the shorter formats. His last ODI match was in December 2023 against South Africa, and he last featured in a T20I against England in November 2022. Currently, he is not in consideration for Test selection.
In his career thus far, Rahul has amassed 2265 runs in 72 T20Is for Team India, maintaining an impressive strike rate of 139. In ODI cricket, the Karnataka batsman has accumulated 2820 runs from 75 matches, including seven centuries and 18 half-centuries. These statistics underscore his significant contributions in limited-overs cricket for India.
It was not a huge deal: Amit Mishra on LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka’s outburst at KL Rahul
Meanwhile, veteran Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Amit Mishra has weighed in on the controversy surrounding KL Rahul’s incident during an IPL 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), suggesting that Sanjiv Goenka had every reason to be upset with Rahul for his actions.
Amit Mishra said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast: “He (LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka) was very disappointed. We lost two back-to-back matches very badly. Against KKR, we lost by some 90–100 runs, and against SRH, the match was finished within 10 overs. If I am so angry about it, will someone who has actually put money into the team not feel angry?.”
