KL Rahul is set to captain India in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting on Sunday, November 30, at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi. He takes over the role from regular skipper Shubman Gill, who is ruled out of the 50-over series after missing the second Test against the Proteas due to a neck injury.
This will be Rahul’s first stint as ODI captain since 2023, when he guided India to a 2-1 series win in South Africa during the 2023/24 tour. His leadership in one-dayers had a rough beginning, as India endured a 0-3 whitewash in South Africa during the 2021/22 series. However, the Karnataka-born star bounced back strongly, leading India to a 3-0 clean sweep in Zimbabwe in 2022.
Rahul also captained India to a convincing 227 run victory in the third and final ODI of the series in Bangladesh, stepping in after regular captain Rohit Sharma was sidelined due to injury. He continued his winning momentum in the 2023 World Cup warm up series against Australia, guiding the Men in Blue to two solid victories by five wickets and 99 runs in the first two matches of the three game series.
|
Players |
Matches |
Won |
Lost |
Win percentage |
Tied |
Draw |
No Result |
|
KL Rahul |
12 |
8 |
4 |
66.66 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
How KL Rahul has performed with the bat in ODIs as captain?
KL Rahul has produced a fairly solid return with the bat while leading India in ODIs. The 33-year-old has accumulated 302 runs from 12 matches (10 innings), averaging 33.55, and has registered four fifties during that period. His best score as captain came in 2023 against Australia, when he remained unbeaten on 58.
However, his numbers against South Africa have been comparatively modest. In eight ODIs versus the Proteas, Rahul has scored 187 runs at an average of 26.71, including two half-centuries, and has operated at a strike rate of 70.83.
In his overall ODI career, the right-hander has amassed 3,092 runs in 88 games (81 innings) at an impressive average of 48.31, featuring seven centuries and 18 fifties. After narrowly missing out on a significant score in the recent two-match Test series against South Africa, Rahul will now be eager to regain momentum and set the tone in the 50-over format.
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