IND vs SA: Irfan Pathan Lauds KL Rahul For Equalling Virat Kohli's Record As Captain

Former Indian pacer and active commentator Ifran Pathan heaped praises on KL Rahul after Team India crushed South Africa 2-1 in the IND vs SA ODI series. KL Rahul led the team in the absence of skipper Rohit Sharma and other senior players.

The KL Rahul & Co. was short of many senior Indian players like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shubman Gill among others in the series. However, KL Rahul still managed to pull off the series under his captainship with a victory in the 1st and 3rd ODI.

Indian squad consisted of many inexperienced players and youngsters like Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Sai Sudharsan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar among others. However, the young blood showcased superb efforts to outplay Proteas in the series.

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What A Year KL Rahul Is Having: Irfan Pathan

After India crushed South Africa in the ODI series, cricketer-turned-commentator Irfan Pathan took to Twitter to hail KL Rahul. He congratulated him on becoming the only second Indian captain after Virat Kohli to win an ODI series in South Africa.

???And what a year KL Rahul is having, nearly an average of 70 with bat in hand. As only the 2nd Indian captain to win a series on the South African soil,??? Irfan Pathan tweeted. Have a look at his tweet below.

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KL Rahul completely failed during his previous stint as skipper in South Africa. In January 2022, India lost all three ODIs against South Africa to witness a humiliating whitewash in the series. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman made a strong comeback with his brilliant captaincy in the recent series.

KL Rahul scored 77 runs across 2 innings in the series. India won the 1st ODI by 8 wickets but lost the 2nd game with the same margin. Later, they outplayed the hosts in the 3rd ODI by 78 runs.

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India Crushed South Africa By 78 Runs In 3rd ODI

Batting first in IND vs SA 3rd ODI, India piled up 296-8. Sanju Samson shattered a stunning century to drive India to a powerful total. Tilak Varma was another impressive performer with his half-century.

Later, opener Tony de Zorzi hit 81 runs for Proteas. However, Indian pacers Arshdeep Singh (4 wickets), Avesh Khan (2 wickets), and Mukesh Kumar (1 wicket) executed a lethal pace attack to crush South Africa in the match. Arshdeep Singh won the player of the series award for 10 wickets across 3 games.

Notably, KL Rahul has showcased a fabulous form since returning to the field after an injury in August. The right-handed batsman slammed a century against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 on his return to the national team.

He also scored match-winning knocks for the team during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, in the absence of Rishabh Pant, Rahul also took over the responsibility of wicketkeeper in the World Cup.

India will now face South Africa in a two-match Test series. The countdown begins on December 26 at Supersport Park in Centurion. Rohit Sharma will be back to lead the Indian Team in the Test series.