IND v SA ODI: According to recent reports, India’s current Test vice-captain KL Rahul is likely to captain the Indian team in case India’s newly crowned ODI captain Rohit Sharma is unable to recover from his injury. Rohit is currently recovering from a hamstring injury, and if he does not recover in time for the ODI series against South Africa, KL Rahul could be named India’s stand-in captain.
Rohit, who is now regaining his health at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, was selected ODI captain earlier this month. The decision was made after Virat Kohli announced he’d be stepping down as T20I captain, and while he wanted to continue to lead India in the other two formats, the selectors didn’t want two separate captains in ODIs and T20 cricket, so Kohli was sacked as ODI captain and Rohit was installed in his place.
Rohit was unable to play in the Test series owing to a hamstring injury, and his availability in the forthcoming One-Day Internationals is also doubtful. Meanwhile, KL Rahul is in excellent form with the bat and has attracted a lot of attention after striking a century on the opening day of the first Test in Centurion.
“It is truly special, every hundred really takes something out of you and gives you joy. There are so many emotions you go through when you score a hundred. You bat for 6-7 hours, those are the kind of innings that stand out and as players, we really cherish these. This is what is expected out of me. Once I got off to a good start, I started enjoying my batting and I did not think too far ahead,” Rahul said in a video posted by BCCI.
India’s upcoming ODI series against South Africa, which begins on January 19, would have been Rohit’s first assignment since being named permanent captain, but Rohit sustained a hamstring injury prior to flying for South Africa, ruling him out of the Test series.
Given that there has been no update on Rohit’s fitness, the situation surrounding his comeback remains uncertain. KL Rahul was chosen vice-captain of the Indian squad for the Test series following his injury, and he’s off to a great start.
On Day 1 of the IND v SA Test at the SuperSport Park in Centurion, KL Rahul’s steady century helped India build a commanding lead in the first Test, as they went to 272 for 3 at Stumps (December 26). In the process, the Indian team vice-captain became only the second Indian opener to reach a century in the country by smashing a superb 248-ball 122.
The Indian batters dominated as the opening pair survived the tense morning session unscathed and went on to put up a 117-run partnership, the seventh-century partnership for Indian openers outside Asia this year, a feat they hadn’t accomplished in the previous decade.
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