India’s stand-in skipper, KL Rahul has faced challenges throughout his career, however, his greatest critics wouldn’t doubt his class as a top-order batter. For someone who has played a lot of games under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, it was natural that Rahul was asked whether he would want to follow, to which Rahul came up with a fantastic reply. Originality is very important, and Rahul believes that he tried to be himself and let other players on the team maintain their own individually.

During the press conference ahead of the opening ODI in Zimbabwe, KL Rahul said, “I can’t go out there and be someone else. Then I won’t be fair to myself, to the team, or to the game. I try and be myself and let the other players be themselves as they want. Jo naam aapne lie (the names that you’ve taken) I can’t even compare myself with these guys (MSD), their numbers and achievement are far greater in terms of what they have done for the country.”

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He further added, “I don’t think any name could be taken in the same breath… And this is my second series as captain, and obviously, I have played under him and learned a lot from him as a player. As you have been playing for so many years, you will pick some good qualities from these guys.”

KL Rahul has witnessed a worrying start to his captaincy career as he lost all three ODIs and a Test match as the skipper. He also shared his thoughts on the importance of managing the workload of the players.

Describing the same, as per the quotes in Hindustan Time, KL Rahul said, “Myself, Kuldeep, and Deepak (Chahar), we were all at NCA (for rehab) and were all preparing for this series. So I know they have prepared well and they know what they need to do. For me, it’s about managing them and giving them that confidence, allow them to express themselves, and have that freedom to do what they want to do.”

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Rahul understands that it’s a challenge he would relish as a skipper. He pointed out the importance of every player needs to find his place. He also talked about how a captain needs to manage the mindset and nervousness of guys who are coming after a long break.