"We should give him some time" - Saba Karim on KL Rahul's captaincy
KL Rahul lost his very first match as the ODI skipper of the Indian team as hosts South Africa secured a stunning 31-run victory in the series opener on Wednesday. Former cricketer Saba Karim believes it is still too early to evaluate Rahul's leadership abilities.
Speaking on the YouTube channel Khelneeti, Saba Karim said that KL Rahul needs more time to prove himself in the new role. He also suggested that the right-hander's batting form is likely to have an impact on his captaincy. Saba Karim said:
"We should give some time to KL Rahul. It is very important for him to concentrate on his batting. He will shine as a captain if he is able to score a lot of runs with the bat."
Saba Karim also pointed out that India missed a trick by not using Venkatesh Prasad as the sixth bowling option in the 1st ODI against South Africa. He feels that the all-rounder could have been given a few overs as specialist bowler Shardul Thakur went for plenty of runs. Karim added:
"India have struggled to find the sixth bowling option for a while. It is important to make use of someone like Venkatesh Iyer when you have him in the side. He should have been used yesterday, especially when Shardul Thakur wasn't bowling too sharply."
South Africa managed to post an impressive total of 296 after electing to bat first at Boland Park. Rassie van der Dussen (129*) and skipper Temba Bauma (110) slammed stunning centuries to steady the ship for their side after a few early wickets.
That's that from the 1st ODI.
South Africa win by 31 runs.
Scorecard - bit.ly/SAvIND-1stODI #SAvIND https://t.co/NrRNxZgMNK
"The energy in the field was missing" - Saba Karim
The cricketer-turned-commentator remarked that India haven't been able to come out on top against their opposition in crunch situations in recent fixtures. Saba Karim feels the same was the case in the Test series against the Proteas.
He opined that the Rahul Dravid-headed team management must strive hard to lift the team after their recent outings. Karim added that there was a lack of energy in the field during the 1st ODI. He said:
"There has been a big shift in India's approach as we haven't been able to seize crucial moments in both Tests and ODIs. The energy in the field was missing. Rahul Dravid and the team management will have to work very hard to revive the team."
India and South Africa will resume their battle for one-upmanship on Friday, January 21. The 2nd ODI game of the 3-match series will be played at Boland Park.