“His instinct is equal to MS Dhoni” - Sanjay Manjrekar on the one aspect of captaincy in which KL Rahul is an expert
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that KL Rahul is an expert when it comes to taking DRS calls. Making a huge statement, Manjrekar opined that this is one aspect of captaincy where Rahul stands level with even the great MS Dhoni.
Rahul-led India beat South Africa by 78 runs in the third ODI at Boland Park in Paarl on Thursday to clinch the three-match series by a 2-1 margin. While Rahul did a good job with the bat, he was particularly impressive as leader of a young Indian team.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar paid a huge compliment to the keeper-batter while analyzing his captaincy.
“These days, when you see KL Rahul on the ground, he looks very relaxed and in a good mind space. He captained as expected. He looks comfortable in the leadership role. He has led a lot in the IPL, in a Test match in South Africa and in one-day matches as well. You can expect KL Rahul not to make any big mistake. He is an expert in DRS. His instinct is equal to MS Dhoni,” he said.
Rahul was not needed to bat in the first match of the ODI series in Johannesburg, which the Men in Blue won by eight wickets. In the second ODI in Gqeberha, he contributed 56 off 64 in a losing cause and followed it up with 21 off 35 in the decider in Paarl.
As captain, he took several smart DRS calls, which went India’s way.
“It seems like Indian cricket is running on autopilot” - Sanjay Manjrekar
While India failed to win the ODI World Cup at home despite dominating the tournament, they have continued to impress in bilateral series’ even with a number of their seniors being rested.
Before Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav led India to a T20I series win at home. Manjrekar credited the players for the success.
“It seems like Indian cricket is running on autopilot. Suryakumar Yadav won as captain recently, KL Rahul now. Rohit Sharma has also won a lot of games for India. A lot of credit for the success must go to the players. Captaincy is good, but not game-changing. It’s the players who are doing really well,” he stated.
India’s next assignment will be a two-match Test series in South Africa, which will begin with a Boxing Day encounter at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.