KL Rahul | It is time to become the man

[MenInG]

Approaching his 100 at Lord's - amazing performance to totally thwart the England bowling attack.

[Saurav]

what an innings

[Ab Fan]

Brilliant hundred. This is gonna be KL Rahul's series. I predicted this before the start of the series only.

Australia was Rishabh Pant's series and this can be one for KL Rahul if India can win this series too.

[Nikhhil98]

Approaching his 100 at Lord's - amazing performance to totally thwart the England bowling attack.

he was 22 NO in first 110 balls

then he hit 81 odd runs in next 100 balls without a single slog or out of book shot !!!

no one realised what super runrate he picked up !!

[gazza619]

Really impressed. A proper test knock. What a tight defence and technique.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Brilliant hundred. This is gonna be KL Rahul's series. I predicted this before the start of the series only.

Australia was Rishabh Pant's series and this can be one for KL Rahul if India can win this series too.

If that happens I would want him as our wicketkeeper batsman in tests also.

[Ab Fan]

If that happens I would want him as our wicketkeeper batsman in tests also.

He will become captain of Indian team in tests after Kohli resigns from captaincy

Both KL and Pant proving their detractors wrong in last six months.

[sensible-indian-fan]

He's DA MAN.

[sensible-indian-fan]

If that happens I would want him as our wicketkeeper batsman in tests also.

So you can drop Pant?

[jeeteshssaxena]

Finally he is doing justice to his talents.
Probably the most talented batsman in India after Adam Gilchrist.

[Last Monetarist]

KL Rahul reaches his sixth test century from 212 balls at Lord's.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

He will become captain of Indian team in tests after Kohli resigns from captaincy

Both KL and Pant proving their detractors wrong in last six months.

Kohli ain't going anywhere. Infact KL has helped Kohli come back to some sort of form in this match.

[Rajdeep]

If that happens I would want him as our wicketkeeper batsman in tests also.

Bro...I dont want to pick on you always but do you even realize what you talking?

Do you understand how tough wicket keeping is in test matches? Its a specialized job.

Why would you play Rahul as a wicket keeper batsman in 5 day format?

[sensible-indian-fan]

There comes a time when you have to just accept you were wrong and move on.

[AMSS]

My prediction is that in the years to come a lot of us would go through the first few pages of this thread for cheap laughs.

[sharmaji]

KL is doing now what Pant did to me in the Aus series: made me look beyond my biases and opened my eyes to their talent.

[jnaveen1980]

One of his best knock if not the best. His 90 out of 189 vs Australia was very good too. But this is sublime.

[Ab Fan]

KL is doing now what Pant did to me in the Aus series: made me look beyond my biases and opened my eyes to their talent.

This England series is going for KL the way Australia series went for Pant. If KL can help his team win the test series in England, it will be a great achievement for him.

Both KL and Pant have grown in stature and can prove their detractors wrong by cementing themselves as not only all-format players but also winning them test series in England and Australia, the latter is already achieved by Pant.

[OMB]

This England series is going for KL the way Australia series went for Pant. If KL can help his team win the test series in England, it will be a great achievement for him.

Both KL and Pant have grown in stature and can prove their detractors wrong by cementing themselves as not only all-format players but also winning them test series in England and Australia, the latter is already achieved by Pant.

Good but this is assuming that India will win series first

[dravidthewall]

Finally this thread pay of. Slowly turning out to be Rahul to become man..

[andy0204]

Got an achievement where legends couldn't get it.

[MenInG]

KL Rahul headlined India's dominance on Day 1 of the second Test versus England, at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, London on Thursday (August 12). The Indian opener had missed out on a century in the series opener, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, but looked in his elements once again and played a classy and impressive knock on the opening day to take Virat Kohli-led India to 273-3 at stumps.

Rahul stitched an impressive 126-run stand for the opening wicket with Rohit Sharma, which was India's first-ever century opening partnership outside Asia since 2011. Following Rohit's dismissal on 83, Rahul switched gears and kept the scoreboard ticking with his immaculate timing whereas he didn't lose concentration and respected the good balls too. During his 117-run stand with skipper Kohli (42) for the third wicket, Rahul reached his 6th Test ton overall (3rd versus England).

While Rahul became India's third centurion as an opener at Lord's, he also joined former opener-turned-commentator Virender Sehwag in a special list. Both Sehwag and Rahul now have four Test tons outside Asia while playing as openers in whites. Sunil Gavaskar heads the list, with as many as 15 hundreds outside Asia.

The opening day of the Lord's Test started with Joe Root winning the toss as England decided to bowl first. Interestingly, Kohli & Co. also would've bowled first but ended the day on a high with 273 runs on board for the loss of 3 wickets only. Rohit-Rahul continued from where they'd left in the series opener and bettered their previous Test's opening stand (97). While Rohit missed out on a deserving ton, which could've been his first-ever outside home, Rahul has taken India to a strong position.

He, along with Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant, will certainly aim to take India beyond the 450-run mark for the visitors to dictate terms from thereon in the second Test, of the five-match series.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/...-on-day/798491

[MP2011]

Sublime innings Rahul!

[b.lesner]

India opener KL Rahul feels the legendary MS Dhoni, who is with the Indian side as a mentor for the T20 World Cup, can give any of the cricketers a run for their money. Rahul said that despite being on the other side of 40, the former skipper can hit the farthest sixes beating some of the muscular youngsters.

Dhoni has recently led Chennai Super Kings to a fourth IPL title and there is a chance that he would come back one last time in 2022 and play in front of his home crowd at the Chepauk.

"None of us are sure that IPL 2021 final was his last game," Rahul said during a Clubhouse session on 10 years of Red Bull Campus Cricket.

"I think Dhoni can give any of us stiff competition, he definitely is a guy who can hit the ball farthest, he is very strong and he is good (while running) between the wickets. He looks the fittest, it is good fun to have him," Rahul added.

Rahul, who is all set to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup where India will start against Pakistan on Sunday, said that there couldn't have been a better "mentor" than Dhoni in what promises to be a tough journey.

"Obviously, MS Dhoni (being) back with the team feels amazing because we have played under him and we have looked towards him as a mentor even when he was our captain," he said.

The attacking right-hander who scored a scintillating fifty against England in India's first warm-up match said Dhoni's presence in the dressing room gives the entire team a sense of calmness.

"We loved having him in the dressing room when he was the captain. We loved the calmness. We have all looked up to him to help us out, to have him here is amazing.

"This gives us a sense of calmness, I have enjoyed spending time with him in the first two to three days and it has been a lot of fun. Looking forward to chewing his brain about cricket, captaincy and all things cricket," he added.

Rahul has been one of the most consistent T20 performers for India with astounding figures of 659, 593, 670, 626 in last four editions of IPL. He feels the IPL performance will give him confidence going into the World Cup.

"Playing consistently has helped me. The six-seven IPL games have helped us adapt to the conditions. The experience of playing in UAE last year helped me know what shots to play and will put me in good stead in preparing for the upcoming World Cup," said the opener.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

Really poor from the management and the player himself

He will be 30 in 4 months. Should have been at the peak of his career but still averages 35 and just 2300 runs to his name. Really bad for such a classy and modern player.

Averages 40+ just against one country (Windies), and 40+ just in India and Windies

He has to somehow take his average above 43 in next 2-3 years before his downfall starts (due to age)

Really disappointed tbh, expected him to be the next THE Indian player after Kohli and Rohit

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

Brilliant hundred. This is gonna be KL Rahul's series. I predicted this before the start of the series only.

Australia was Rishabh Pant's series and this can be one for KL Rahul if India can win this series too.

Started really well, 2 brilliant innings in first 3 innings, then 5 back to back failures

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

Poor guy wasn’t helped by the counties he played the matches in either


At Home (in India): 14

in SENA: 16 (After the series in South Africa he would have played 19 in SENA and 14 in India)

in WIN & SL: 10

Home & Away:
14 at Home
26 Away

Almost 63% of the matches Away (mostly SENA)

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Started really well, 2 brilliant innings in first 3 innings, then 5 back to back failures

I have said it numerous times that KL Rahul lacks consistency and this is the reason his average in tests isn't good.

[street cricketer]

Started really well, 2 brilliant innings in first 3 innings, then 5 back to back failures

Him and Rohi were easily the reasons we are leading the series in England.

Opening in England is the toughest gig in world cricket.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

Him and Rohi were easily the reasons we are leading the series in England.

Opening in England is the toughest gig in world cricket.

Rohit yes, Rahul not so much I’d say. Player with 6 failures out of 8 can’t be the reason for leading the series.

It is certainly, but problem with Rahul is he doesn’t even average 40 in one country (except Windies), so it’s not just England where he has failed

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Rohit yes, Rahul not so much I’d say. Player with 6 failures out of 8 can’t be the reason for leading the series

Last time also he failed in first 4 tests against England and then scored a hundred in the final inning of that series. We lost that match in the end.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

But good thing for Rahul is that not everything is over yet. He still has some 4 years of good cricket left in him.

The sooner he starts converting the potential into runs the better. And anyone who has seen Rahul knows he is capable of it.

Now it’s up to him to be able to do it

[street cricketer]

Rohit yes, Rahul not so much I’d say. Player with 6 failures out of 8 can’t be the reason for leading the series.

I don't think you watched the series. The English commentators were praising the Indian openers as one of the main reasons India did so well in the series, unlike the England openers who struggled to put on a partnership.

Sometimes it's not only about scoring centuries. Opening is easily the toughest position in test cricket and there are a lot of times when an opener might not have scored a century or even a 50, but if he stayed at the crease for at least 20 overs, that would protect the middle order from being exposed to the new ball. I'll give you an example, Vihari I think scored just 20 runs in the 2018 boxing day test when he was promoted as a stand in opener. But he batted for the most part of first session and that partnership with Agarwal was hugely helpful to India winning that test. Yes, Pujara scored the bulk of the runs and Bumrah got the wickets, but that solid start in the opening of that test shaped the rest of the test.

Rahul didn't get a fifty in the Oval test, but he batted with Rohit for 33 overs in the second innings while facing a deficit of hundred runs in the first innings, that stand was hugely helpful for India winning that test. Cricinfo scorecards won't tell you these things. You have to actually watch the matches to catch these small but important bits of information in Test cricket.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

I don't think you watched the series. The English commentators were praising the Indian openers as one of the main reasons India did so well in the series, unlike the England openers who struggled to put on a partnership.

Sometimes it's not only about scoring centuries. Opening is easily the toughest position in test cricket and there are a lot of times when an opener might not have scored a century or even a 50, but if he stayed at the crease for at least 20 overs, that would protect the middle order from being exposed to the new ball. I'll give you an example, Vihari I think scored just 20 runs in the 2018 boxing day test when he was promoted as a stand in opener. But he batted for the most part of first session and that partnership with Agarwal was hugely helpful to India winning that test. Yes, Pujara scored the bulk of the runs and Bumrah got the wickets, but that solid start in the opening of that test shaped the rest of the test.

Rahul didn't get a fifty in the Oval test, but he batted with Rohit for 33 overs in the second innings while facing a deficit of hundred runs in the first innings, that stand was hugely helpful for India winning that test. Cricinfo scorecards won't tell you these things. You have to actually watch the matches to catch these small but important bits of information in Test cricket.

No one watches full one day of a test match let alone full match smh. Don’t tell me U did. Rahul played really well but in first 2 matches, and two good innings cannot be credited for leading the series. Out of 2 innings he played 1 inning was in a drawn match.

But yes if u feel we’re leading in the series coz of Rahul, I respect your opinion. For me it isn’t the case

[Dingolfy]

No one watches full one day of a test match let alone full match smh. Don’t tell me U did. Rahul played really well but in first 2 matches, and two good innings cannot be credited for leading the series. Out of 2 innings he played 1 inning was in a drawn match.

But yes if u feel we’re leading in the series coz of Rahul, I respect your opinion. For me it isn’t the case

You don’t need to watch full day test cricket to know the importance of staying in the crease for longer time in Test Cricket especially in England where the new ball swings a lot.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

You don’t need to watch full day test cricket to know the importance of staying in the crease for longer time in Test Cricket especially in England where the new ball swings a lot.

I never said otherwise. Rahul did it in two innings out of which one innings was in a drawn match. Again it’s not just England, he averages less than 40 in every country and against every country apart from West Indies

[Ab Fan]

I never said otherwise. Rahul did it in two innings out of which one innings was in a drawn match. Again it’s not just England, he averages less than 40 in every country and against every country apart from West Indies

He was very good in England as opener. Now, need to wait to watch him how he performs in the next series rather than going hard on him.

The version in 2017-18 had massive dip which messed up his stats, before that he was averaging in 40s. He went to England and played with clear mind, got the result as expected. Now, here he has got injured, that has no solution. But I am convinced that he is here for a long run now.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

He was very good in England as opener. Now, need to wait to watch him how he performs in the next series rather than going hard on him.

The version in 2017-18 had massive dip which messed up his stats, before that he was averaging in 40s. He went to England and played with clear mind, got the result as expected. Now, here he has got injured, that has no solution. But I am convinced that he is here for a long run now.

I am not being hard on him. He improved a lot in the England series. But what I don’t like is people trying to force their opinion on me that he had a successful series when he had 6 failures out of 8 in the England series. He surely didn’t get results as expected.

But yes I expect him to do well in SA as he is much better against bounce than against swing and seam.

He does have time on his side so that’s good for him and I do expect a player like him to do well. But until now he isn’t the player which we expected him to be

[Ab Fan]

I am not being hard on him. He improved a lot in the England series. But what I don’t like is people trying to force their opinion on me that he had a successful series when he had 6 failures out of 8 in the England series. He surely didn’t get results as expected.

But yes I expect him to do well in SA as he is much better against bounce than against swing and seam.

He does have time on his side so that’s good for him and I do expect a player like him to do well. But until now he isn’t the player which we expected him to be

He averages 40+ as opener in England in that series. So definitely it is a successful series. Rohit was the best batsman on show though and if you make a combined team of both sides, Rahul will be his opening partner in that too.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

He averages 40+ as opener in England in that series. So definitely it is a successful series. Rohit was the best batsman on show though and if you make a combined team of both sides, Rahul will be his opening partner in that too.

May be as per u it is a successful series. 6 failure out of 8 is not a successful series for me

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

He averages 40+ as opener in England in that series. So definitely it is a successful series. Rohit was the best batsman on show though and if you make a combined team of both sides, Rahul will be his opening partner in that too.

And he averages 39 tbh, not 40 PLUS. And u were saying this is gonna be his series. But my man had 6 failures out of 8

[Ab Fan]

May be as per u it is a successful series. 6 failure out of 8 is not a successful series for me

It isn't 6 failure, not sure what logic you are applying.

He was the third best batsman in that series after Joe Root and Rohit Sharma.

It is like saying that Kohli's 2018 tour to Australia was failure with bat because he wasn't the best batsman in that series lol.

[CrIc_Mystique]

When he is on, he is a gadzillion rupees, problem is he is too inconsistent.
Always fun to watch, i feel he has a problem in front foot shots where he does not bend his front left knee enough when going thru the shot. Or he does not bend enough when playing back foot shots, remains a bit upright. On the occasions when he scored lots - if you notice - he did both.
end of the day - i'd always watch him - a pity he is injured for the nz series.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

It isn't 6 failure, not sure what logic you are applying.

He was the third best batsman in that series after Joe Root and Rohit Sharma.

It means nothing. Just because English batters were utterly poor doesn’t mean Rahul had a successful series.

But yes, if you think a player who had 6 failures out of 8 innings and averaged 39 had a successful series, hats off to u. I respect u standards but do not force it on me.

To me it was a not so good series for Rahul

[Ab Fan]

It means nothing. Just because English batters were utterly poor doesn’t mean Rahul had a successful series.

But yes, if you think a player who had 6 failures out of 8 innings and averaged 39 had a successful series, hats off to u. I respect u standards but do not force it on me.

To me it was a not so good series for Rahul

Good to note that you consider Kohli's series in Australia 2018 as failure too. Hats off to u..you really have high standards

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

Good to note that you consider Kohli's series in Australia 2018 as failure too. Hats off to u..you really have high standards

Of course it was lol. I am not a hypocrite to have one standard for some and other for some. The fact that you had to bring Kohlis stats from years back showed u have no argument lol

[Ab Fan]

Of course it was lol. I am not a hypocrite to have one standard for some and other for some. The fact that you had to bring Kohlis stats from years back showed u have no argument lol

No, it was not a failure.

An average of 39/40 with 0 not outs is not a failure as noted in KL Rahul's case. Also, his 100 helped us win the Lord's Test.

Neither was Kohli's series in Australia a failure. He got a quality hundred in one of the tests and some more starts. It was a good series.

KL's series in England was marginally better than Kohli's in Australia 2018 though because he was opener, his hundred was a match winning one in Lords and his 80 was in extreme bowling friendly conditions in first test.

I get you are not hypocrite but you are clearly being harsh on players if you think an average close to 40 with zero not outs for an opener in England conditions is a failure.

[Kohli, The King of Chase]

No, it was not a failure.

An average of 39/40 with 0 not outs is not a failure as noted in KL Rahul's case. Also, his 100 helped us win the Lord's Test.

Neither was Kohli's series in Australia a failure. He got a quality hundred in one of the tests and some more starts. It was a good series.

KL's series in England was marginally better than Kohli's in Australia 2018 though because he was opener, his hundred was a match winning one in Lords and his 80 was in extreme bowling friendly conditions in first test.

I get you are not hypocrite but you are clearly being harsh on players if you think an average close to 40 with zero not outs for an opener in England conditions is a failure.

I never said it was a failure of a tour, it wasn’t a good either. The reason why I don’t go with averages is I’ll give u an example

Younis Khan averaged close to 50 in England in 2016, and even single handedly won the 4th test match

And in terms of total runs was just below the duo of Root and Cook (and few runs below Bairstow) and the top run scorer from Pakistan.

But as much as he did help winning the match and also levelling the series, I’d still call that series a total failure. Coz he failed in 6 innings out of 7.

No way did Rahul have a failure of a series but it wasn’t a successful one either. Yes, had it been his first series in England I’d have called it a success but it was his second test tour in 3 years.

But since there’s one more match left, let’s see if he can score a century or a 50 and a 40+, the series would surely be a successful one, and he is surely capable of it

[MenInG]

The IPL franchises have until November 30 to decide on the players they want to retain and release before the IPL 2022 mega auction. Since there is no Right to Match (RTM) card this time, a franchise will not be able to retain a player if it releases him once. While none of the IPL franchises has released their final list yet, multiple reports have confirmed that KL Rahul has parted ways with Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Though the chances of him going back into the auction are bleak as the two new IPL teams will aim to get his services. As per the rules, the two new franchises will be allowed to pick 3 players each before the mega auction.

Before the last date to submit the list of retained players, a report has suggested that the chances of Rahul moving to the Lucknow-based team are highly likely. The Insidesport.in has reported that the Lucknow-based team has offered Rahul a sum of more than Rs 20 crore. India' T20I vice-captain had a salary of Rs 11 crore at PBKS. He has been reportedly offered a hike of Rs 9 crore.

Should he decide to stay at PBKS, Rahul can earn a maximum of Rs 16 crore. Rahul has emerged as the best opener in IPL since 2018 and scored 659, 593, 670 and 626 runs in the past 4 seasons, respectively.

The RPSG Group had bought the Lucknow-based IPL team for a mega amount of Rs 7090 crore. The report in Insidesport.in adds that the franchise has extended the sum of Rs 16 crore to Rashid Khan. The Sunrisers Hyderabad leg-spinner had been retained by the franchise via RTM card for Rs 9 crore in 2018. He might be SRH's 2nd choice retention and can earn a maximum of Rs 12 crore.

While Rahul looks set to move on from PBKS, there has been no word on Rashid's future at SRH yet.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/...-report/836166

[MenInG]

JUST IN: India have appointed KL Rahul as their vice-captain for the upcoming #SAvIND Test series.

[Ab Fan]

England tour 2020- KL Rahul makes a comeback. Plays two Martin Crowe-sque knocks in tough batting conditions in England.

South Africa tour 2021- Named Vice Captain of Indian test team.

[transparent opacity]

Another century in SENA.

A brilliant hundred today against South Africa. Finally, showing his class in the longer format.

[Saurav]

if he sorts out his mental issues,he can still end up as an Indian great in Tests

[James]

Magnificent knock.

[Unbiased-Fan]

Finally Rahul is playing with some maturity.
Average of 35 doesn't really show how stylish and talented this guy is. It was pleasure to watch the way he neutralise Rabada in the 1st spell. Waiting for his 1st double century.

[Unbiased-Fan]

Away hundreds in SENA since Rahul's debut

KL Rahul > Babar + Fawad + Misbah + Rizwan

Virat alone has 9.

[RamLakhan]

I think he has become MAN now... Time to move towards GOD (like Sachin, Kohli in the past and Rohit at present!)

[Ab Fan]

Really poor from the management and the player himself

He will be 30 in 4 months. Should have been at the peak of his career but still averages 35 and just 2300 runs to his name. Really bad for such a classy and modern player.

Averages 40+ just against one country (Windies), and 40+ just in India and Windies

He has to somehow take his average above 43 in next 2-3 years before his downfall starts (due to age)

Really disappointed tbh, expected him to be the next THE Indian player after Kohli and Rohit

Time to sideline all the disappointment because he is the next THE Indian player after Kohli and Rohit. He has already surpassed Rohit in Test Cricket overseas.

[Hassaan HS]

"We Are Looking To Groom KL Rahul": Chief Selector Chetan Sharma

Captain Rohit Sharma was on Friday ruled out of India's upcoming ODI series in South Africa due to a hamstring injury, forcing the selectors to appoint KL Rahul as skipper of an 18-member team for the white-ball leg of the tour. All-rounder Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja were also not selected as they were not fit while senior pacer Mohammed Shami, who is in the team for the ongoing Test series, was restehd. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah was named as vice-captain of the team.

"Rohit Sharma is not fit, he is in rehab and he is not going for the ODI series in South Africa. He is working on and building on his fitness. We never wanted to take chance with him," chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said before announcing the team.

"We are looking to groom KL Rahul and we have confidence in him. He has proved his leadership qualities. KL is the best one who can handle the side. He is an all-format player and he has got good experience of captaincy... this is what all selectors think," he added.

The three-match ODI series will begin at Paarl on January 19. The second match will also be played at Paarl on January 21 while the third one will be at Cape Town on January 23.

Rohit and Jadeja were rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru after being ruled out of the ongoing Test series in South Africa due to injuries.

In fact, the selection meeting was supposed to be held earlier -- just after the Vijay Hazare Trophy -- but it was pushed back only to ensure that Rohit gets a chance to pass the fitness test.

"We thought if Rohit is 100 per cent fit, there is no chance for injuries, then he should not miss an important series. If he is not 100 per cent fit, we thought we will not take a chance and all the five selectors decided not to take a chance," Sharma said.

All the selectors had a chat with Rohit regarding his fitness.

Rohit, who was named ODI captain earlier this month replacing Virat Kohli, was to travel to South Africa as vice-captain for the Test series which began on December 26 but a hamstring injury during training ruled him out. He had taken charge as T20I captain against New Zealand last month.

Sharma said the selectors are not thinking beyond the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

"We are definitely preparing for the 2023 (50-over) World Cup but our first aim is the T20 World Cup. We are not thinking beyond that," he said.

"We have no right to assume who will be fit or not. No one wants to be unfit. We are grooming KL Rahul and we also have Bumrah. We want them to learn and that will be good for Indian cricket." On Shami being rested, Sharma said, "Looking at the workload management of our fast bowlers, we are resting him," he said.

Jadeja was earlier ruled out of the South Africa tour due to a knee injury which he sustained during the New Zealand Test series at home last month.

Sharma said the selection committee took into account the performances of players in domestic cricket and some of the young talents were discussed in the meeting.

"All five of us believe in domestic cricket. A lot of youngsters have already come in the side on domestic cricket performances, especially like Ruturaj, Venkatesh Iyer. Washington Sundar did very well after his injury, came back and performed in domestic cricket, and he made his place in the Indian side for ODIs," Sharma said."We Are Looking To Groom KL Rahul": Chief Selector Chetan Sharma
Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma stated that KL Rahul is being "groomed" as the future leader of the side.

Press Trust of India
Updated: December 31, 2021 11:07 PM IST

Read Time:3 min
"We Are Looking To Groom KL Rahul": Chief Selector Chetan Sharma
KL Rahul will lead India in the ODI series against South Africa.© Twitter

Captain Rohit Sharma was on Friday ruled out of India's upcoming ODI series in South Africa due to a hamstring injury, forcing the selectors to appoint KL Rahul as skipper of an 18-member team for the white-ball leg of the tour. All-rounder Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja were also not selected as they were not fit while senior pacer Mohammed Shami, who is in the team for the ongoing Test series, was restehd. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah was named as vice-captain of the team.

"Rohit Sharma is not fit, he is in rehab and he is not going for the ODI series in South Africa. He is working on and building on his fitness. We never wanted to take chance with him," chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said before announcing the team.

"We are looking to groom KL Rahul and we have confidence in him. He has proved his leadership qualities. KL is the best one who can handle the side. He is an all-format player and he has got good experience of captaincy... this is what all selectors think," he added.

The three-match ODI series will begin at Paarl on January 19. The second match will also be played at Paarl on January 21 while the third one will be at Cape Town on January 23.

Rohit and Jadeja were rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru after being ruled out of the ongoing Test series in South Africa due to injuries.

In fact, the selection meeting was supposed to be held earlier -- just after the Vijay Hazare Trophy -- but it was pushed back only to ensure that Rohit gets a chance to pass the fitness test.

"We thought if Rohit is 100 per cent fit, there is no chance for injuries, then he should not miss an important series. If he is not 100 per cent fit, we thought we will not take a chance and all the five selectors decided not to take a chance," Sharma said.

All the selectors had a chat with Rohit regarding his fitness.

Rohit, who was named ODI captain earlier this month replacing Virat Kohli, was to travel to South Africa as vice-captain for the Test series which began on December 26 but a hamstring injury during training ruled him out. He had taken charge as T20I captain against New Zealand last month.

Sharma said the selectors are not thinking beyond the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

"We are definitely preparing for the 2023 (50-over) World Cup but our first aim is the T20 World Cup. We are not thinking beyond that," he said.

"We have no right to assume who will be fit or not. No one wants to be unfit. We are grooming KL Rahul and we also have Bumrah. We want them to learn and that will be good for Indian cricket." On Shami being rested, Sharma said, "Looking at the workload management of our fast bowlers, we are resting him," he said.

Jadeja was earlier ruled out of the South Africa tour due to a knee injury which he sustained during the New Zealand Test series at home last month.

Sharma said the selection committee took into account the performances of players in domestic cricket and some of the young talents were discussed in the meeting.

"All five of us believe in domestic cricket. A lot of youngsters have already come in the side on domestic cricket performances, especially like Ruturaj, Venkatesh Iyer. Washington Sundar did very well after his injury, came back and performed in domestic cricket, and he made his place in the Indian side for ODIs," Sharma said.

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

"A few other young players we discussed are Ravi Bishnoi, Rishi Dhawan, who did well in domestic cricket, in Mushtaq Ali as well as in Vijay Hazare. They will definitely get their chances in future (because of load management). Another dashing batsman Shahrukh Khan was also discussed, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan also," he added.

The Squad: KL Rahul (capt), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/we-a...sharma-2682468

[MenInG]

His Captaincy during the 2nd Test against South Africa?

[MenInG]

Team India opening pair on the South Africa tour, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal achieved a huge record on the first day of the third Test at Newlands in Cape Town. Both Rahul and Mayank played out the first burst from Proteas pacers Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier but got out in quick succession, soon after.

The duo shared a partnership of 31 runs before Olivier struck with the big scalp of Rahul. With this, Rahul and Mayank became the first opening pair for India to aggregate over 200 partnership runs in South Africa. Rahul-Mayank with an aggregate of 220 runs surpassed former duo, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir's tally of 184 runs as an opening pair in the rainbow nation.

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer and wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik are in third place with 153 runs. The series got off to a fabulous start for the two openers, Rahul and Mayank when they combined for a 117-run stand on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, which India eventually won as Rahul went on to complete his 7th Test century.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/...-sehwag/848443

[MP2011]

Very poor batsman. As they say, andhon mein kana raja.

[Varun]

Very poor batsman. As they say, andhon mein kana raja.

But his Day 1 century is the only thing that has kept us alive this series.

1-1*

[MP2011]

But his Day 1 century is the only thing that has kept us alive this series.

1-1*

Yeah. That's why I said andhon mein kana Raja!

[Ab Fan]

Rahul is only a couple of home series away to take his average to 40 odd. He is an opener and not outs will anyways be less so it is hard to maintain great average if you are playing mostly away from home.

The good thing with him is that he has applied himself well to these conditions and willing to leave ball for hours and hours, a skill that some of our modern great openers in past didn't had in back days.

That is an important skill to have if you want to perform in all conditions rather than being dominant on flat pitches where you can play the shots on the up and go completely missing when there is any lateral movement.

[RamLakhan]

Rahul is only a couple of home series away to take his average to 40 odd. He is an opener and not outs will anyways be less so it is hard to maintain great average if you are playing mostly away from home.

The good thing with him is that he has applied himself well to these conditions and willing to leave ball for hours and hours, a skill that some of our modern great openers in past didn't had in back days.

That is an important skill to have if you want to perform in all conditions rather than being dominant on flat pitches where you can play the shots on the up and go completely missing when there is any lateral movement.

The only time he showed consistency (in any format) was during a tough home test series against Australia! All other times he has shown huge high and huge low (usually starts a tour with a century OR ends a tour with century like Bhaag Viru Bhaag has assessed).

Looking at all these developments it is imperative that these guys (at least batsmen) should never miss any home test series (even if it is against West Indies or Bangladesh) giving the excuse of rest or anything. Batting is a "form" skill (compared to bowling which is a "rhythm" skill where they can reach their best over a spell...) because no batsman gets a second chance after getting out in a given innings no matter how well they are playing/striking the ball (unless they get a luck/life). For e.g., Rahane even today looks beautiful when he is striking the ball... Not many people would have noticed that he is actually hitting lots of boundaries and quick cameos in recent test matches and then looks like a stupid when he gets out! Only the confidence of "form" (even if it comes from home matches) can drive a batsman to get out of the fear of getting "out" in tough conditions & grow their innings!

It has become a fashion to pick & choose the international games these days and this has led to drastic downfall of all these batsmen (including Kohli). Home games are a must and it will always help a batsman to gain their confidence & help improve their stats (yes, even if some people mock that he is a HTB or minnow-basher!) and that confidence should rub when they tour overseas...

Another reason is not playing any warm-up matches in any tour and not enough practice/preparation sessions.

Yes, IPL has indirectly or directly responsible for all these developments, but blaming IPL completely is also unfair because IPL has also helped in improving our resources, professionalism, fitness, bench-strength, pressure-handling, financial-security, etc which are also equally important and we are seeing the positive results due to that (vast improvement in our overall overseas test results, even though our batting looks weak!).

The remedy for this is either reducing the number of games played in IPL or bringing the same rotation of players policy as they do in international matches. Like lifting the foreign players limit from 4 to 6 OR including a new rule that each team should have at least 4 uncapped (not played any kind of international matches) local players in their team OR not allowing Top-Tier Indian International Players to play first 10 matches, they can join for the latter decisive matches & knockouts/playoffs! If carefully planned this won't affect the financial-output of the tournament and instead strengthens it further and makes it even more interesting/challenging!

But I am not sure if they will keep Money/Finance secondary and put Indian Cricketing Standards/Development as main priority! (Its not happening in any field/organization on earth including even ICC. How much has IPL really cared for cricket's improvement compared to eating money gained from cricket played by India!) So we have to cope with all these cons of IPL while accepting the pros it gives!

I think players themselves should take the initiative and skip IPL matches (I guess they get the base payments) giving the reason of prioritizing international matches. If one player does that, hopefully other players will also follow. In this way, they could have moved to England early to practice for WTC finals against NZ. This is much more easier (if the change happens at personal level!)

Rahul, Kohli, Pant... its important for them to not skip any home test games even though it may look insignificant/useless matches on the surface!

[MP2011]

Well said RamLakhan!

Its a fantasy of some that Rahul will average decently in test cricket. Had he been good enough, he'd have done that already.

In reality, he is a very average batsman with even below average mental toughness to succeed in international cricket.

Only in India we make such mental midgets Indian captains and worst still, designate him as our future captain.

[Ab Fan]

The only time he showed consistency (in any format) was during a tough home test series against Australia! All other times he has shown huge high and huge low (usually starts a tour with a century OR ends a tour with century like Bhaag Viru Bhaag has assessed).

Looking at all these developments it is imperative that these guys (at least batsmen) should never miss any home test series (even if it is against West Indies or Bangladesh) giving the excuse of rest or anything. Batting is a "form" skill (compared to bowling which is a "rhythm" skill where they can reach their best over a spell...) because no batsman gets a second chance after getting out in a given innings no matter how well they are playing/striking the ball (unless they get a luck/life). For e.g., Rahane even today looks beautiful when he is striking the ball... Not many people would have noticed that he is actually hitting lots of boundaries and quick cameos in recent test matches and then looks like a stupid when he gets out! Only the confidence of "form" (even if it comes from home matches) can drive a batsman to get out of the fear of getting "out" in tough conditions & grow their innings!

It has become a fashion to pick & choose the international games these days and this has led to drastic downfall of all these batsmen (including Kohli). Home games are a must and it will always help a batsman to gain their confidence & help improve their stats (yes, even if some people mock that he is a HTB or minnow-basher!) and that confidence should rub when they tour overseas...

Another reason is not playing any warm-up matches in any tour and not enough practice/preparation sessions.

Yes, IPL has indirectly or directly responsible for all these developments, but blaming IPL completely is also unfair because IPL has also helped in improving our resources, professionalism, fitness, bench-strength, pressure-handling, financial-security, etc which are also equally important and we are seeing the positive results due to that (vast improvement in our overall overseas test results, even though our batting looks weak!).

The remedy for this is either reducing the number of games played in IPL or bringing the same rotation of players policy as they do in international matches. Like lifting the foreign players limit from 4 to 6 OR including a new rule that each team should have at least 4 uncapped (not played any kind of international matches) local players in their team OR not allowing Top-Tier Indian International Players to play first 10 matches, they can join for the latter decisive matches & knockouts/playoffs! If carefully planned this won't affect the financial-output of the tournament and instead strengthens it further and makes it even more interesting/challenging!

But I am not sure if they will keep Money/Finance secondary and put Indian Cricketing Standards/Development as main priority! (Its not happening in any field/organization on earth including even ICC. How much has IPL really cared for cricket's improvement compared to eating money gained from cricket played by India!) So we have to cope with all these cons of IPL while accepting the pros it gives!

I think players themselves should take the initiative and skip IPL matches (I guess they get the base payments) giving the reason of prioritizing international matches. If one player does that, hopefully other players will also follow. In this way, they could have moved to England early to practice for WTC finals against NZ. This is much more easier (if the change happens at personal level!)

Rahul, Kohli, Pant... its important for them to not skip any home test games even though it may look insignificant/useless matches on the surface!

When did Rahul skip any home matches? If he does in future, it is obviously wrong and I have highlighted it in past already that they should play all home matches.

[Ab Fan]

The home series vs NZ, he was in line to play the two tests but had an injury.

Rahul has proved that in tough SEN conditions, he is the best Indian test opener of this millennium.

[RamLakhan]

The home series vs NZ, he was in line to play the two tests but had an injury.

Rahul has proved that in tough SEN conditions, he is the best Indian test opener of this millennium.

I was talking Indian batsmen in general. Also these injuries/fatigue (especially to batsmen) is definitely a drawback from IPL. Hence they are thinking that its alright to skip home test matches. But what's that doing is denting their confidence and deflating their average. Yes we are still winning home matches easily, but its not good to skip the matches and lose the form/rhythm which makes an impression on tough overseas tours. Openers can get good practice of facing new balls on Indian Pitches too which they can carry forward overseas... Pant can get lots of confidence and tighten his defense if he plays longer innings at home even if it is on relatively easier pitches...

[Cover Drive Six]

Openers are the main reason for our recent test format success.
Some posters here criticizing KL after one bad game. He already scored 100 and won a test in this series.

[MP2011]

Him dropping a dolly of Petersen yesterday yielded them 66 extra runs which may prove to be absolutely decisive in this test and the series.

[shamaan]

The home series vs NZ, he was in line to play the two tests but had an injury.

Rahul has proved that in tough SEN conditions, he is the best Indian test opener of this millennium.

I expected Rahul to average 40+ and close to 50 in india

[Ab Fan]

A mentally fragile cricketer who should be kept away from any sort of responsibility and asked to bat at 5 in limited overs. A non thinker KL Rahul is miles better batsman than a thinker KL Rahul.

As third opener, India should try Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan.

[Mobashir]

Dropped twice and miss run out once but still played quite mediocrly.

[MP2011]

A nothing cricketer, detrimental for our cricket.

[Cover Drive Six]

Most selfish player I ever seen.Proper selfish batsmen.

He is not opening material in LOI format, he simply putting pressure on other batsmen with his stupid and unnecessary extra careful selfish batting approach in power play.

He couldn't even scoring runs against Markram in power play.

[Cover Drive Six]

His selfish Orange Cap approach in IPL had dented Punjab chances in every season.

[Cover Drive Six]

Meanwhile KL Rahul has been appointed as the captain of Lucknow IPL franchise.

Lucknow owner said, "we are pretty much impressed with KL Rahul's leadership skills".

[shamaan]

On par with Babar yes correct.