IND vs SA 2022: 3 challenges for KL Rahul as skipper
KL Rahul is all set to lead the Indian team against South Africa in the five T20Is, which start from June 9 in Delhi. In the absence of big names like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, he has been the default choice for captaincy of late in Indian cricket.
South Africa are fielding a full-strength squad, while India have a lot of new names in their ranks. Rahul and Co. will have to bring out their A-game if they are to win the series against a quality international side.
18-member #TeamIndia squad for the upcoming five-match Paytm T20I home series against South Africa.
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On that note, let's take a look at three challenges for KL Rahul as skipper in the upcoming series.
#3 Leading by example
KL Rahul is one of the most skilled and talented T20 batters in the country when it comes to pure ability. However, when he's captaining a team, his game looks much more subdued and risk-free.
Since he is the captain, Rahul can decide how the team wants to approach the game. Although he is an extremely consistent run-getter in T20 cricket, there is a school of thought that suggests that he either starts too slow or gets bogged down in the middle of a T20 innings.
This tends to cost his team if the target is very high, as was the case in the IPL 2022 Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
India need a free-flowing, attacking T20 opener version of Rahul more than anything else in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Keep calm and trust Captain Rahul supermcy🥳🥳🤩❤💪
@klrahul #KLRahul @LucknowIPL https://t.co/yl22knv8TL
This series might be the best time for Rahul to get back to that old version of himself. South Africa have quality bowlers like Rabada, Nortje, Jansen, Shamsi and Maharaj in their ranks. He has nothing to lose, and proving himself against such a bowling unit will make him a lot more confident about his approach.
#2 Improving as a tactician
Rahul has now captained three IPL seasons without any success. With the Punjab Kings (PBKS), he failed to make it to the playoffs. However, he led the new franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to a third-place finish in the league stage of IPL 2022. They eventually lost to RCB in the Eliminator.
It's safe to say that KL Rahul isn't the smartest tactician out there in Indian cricket. He tends to let the opposition drift away with the game even after being in a dominant position. He doesn't take very proactive measures when his team is under pressure.
This Indian team has an IPL winning captain in Hardik Pandya and an experienced T20 campaigner in Dinesh Karthik. KL Rahul can definitely consult them when he's making decisions at a crucial stage of the game.
A good series here as captain against a formidable South African team will do his confidence a world of good.
#1 Ensuring that India follow the same template as that under Rohit
Under the new management of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, the Indian team has adopted an aggressive brand of cricket in the shortest format. In the series against New Zealand in November, a change in intent with the bat was there for everyone to see.
India are on a 12 match winning streak in T20Is. They need one more win to create a world record of 13 consecutive wins in the shortest format. Most of these wins have come for India post the T20 World Cup debacle under the new management.
Going into a World Cup with a clear set of goals will solve a lot of problems for the Indian team. KL Rahul can try out players of his choice in the series and try to fix potential weaknesses as India look to iron out their playing XI for the global T20 event.