CHENNAI: The last time KL Rahul was on the cricket field, wearing Indian colours, he was on his knees, ruing the loss against Australia in the World Cup final. While it is not easy to recover from such a heartbreak loss, Rahul would have left it behind and started anew as he is set to lead India in the three-match ODI series against South Africa that begins in Johannesburg on Sunday.
After all, it will be, not just his, but also India’s first assignment in the 50-over format since the global event. And the team will be without the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya for this particular assignment. Since the ODI WC ended, all the conversation has shifted to the T20 format, and understandably so. The next ICC event in 50-over is two years away and there is a T20 WC to be played in mid-2024. This is why, despite the excitement around watching the younger players who have broken into the Indian white-ball setup, there might not be a ‘bigger picture’ to look forward to in this series. That includes the captaincy.
The skipper for the three ODIs, Rahul, said as much. “I think it is too early to look at the bigger picture when it comes to ODI cricket,” he said in a pre-match press conference. “For now, the focus obviously is on the T20 World Cup that is around the corner and there is not a lot of cricket left for Indian team in terms of T20Is. Test cricket always remains a very important format for our country so the focus is on the Test matches as well, having said that, we are here to compete in the ODI format against SA. For us, the focus will be on what is in front of us, try and win the series.”
While there is not much context to what happens in this series, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to look forward to. The likes of B Sai Sudharsan and Rinku Singh might get to show what they can do in this format. Sai Sudharsan might open the batting with Ruturaj Gaikwad with Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson likely to fill the middle-order. Rahul, however, doesn’t want to add any extra pressure. “To expect them to go out and play the way Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli played in the World Cup will be too soon. You have to give them their time and you make them feel comfortable,” he said.
There is a Test series to be won, for which the senior players will be getting ready with head coach Rahul Dravid on the sidelines of the ODI leg. And whether Rohit or Kohli will continue in the format is a question for the next home series. For now, all Rahul would want to do is continue what Suryakumar Yadav has done with the T20I team. Turn up on the day, put on a show and go back with a win.
