KL Rahul reveals his batting position for South Africa ODIs, breaks silence on getting captaincy

Star India National Cricket Team batsman KL Rahul has opened up on getting the opportunity to captain the team in the upcoming ODI series against the South Africa National Cricket Team.

KL Rahul has also revealed at which number he will be batting in the upcoming series against the Proteas in the absence of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.

I have been playing at number six since the Champions Trophy - KL Rahul

KL Rahul was named as the India stand-in captain for the 50-over matches against the Temba Bavuma-led side after Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer were ruled out due to their respective injuries.

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Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury during the Eden Gardens Test against South Africa, and Shreyas Iyer lacerated his spleen during the Australia tour, and they are expected to remain out of action for a while.

Addressing the press ahead of the ODI series opener, KL Rahul made it very clear that there won't be a change in his batting position in the absence of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, and he will continue to bat at No.6. He said:

"I have not finalised the exact XI yet. I have been playing at number six since the Champions Trophy, so I will be batting there. And obviously, we have all-rounders like Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy - all these options are available to us. We will see what the best XI is and make that decision in the evening, and you'll know tomorrow."

Just a day before the announcement - KL Rahul

KL Rahul also revealed that he got to know about his appointment as the captain of the team a day before the official announcement and expressed his excitement over leading the side.

Rahul added that having the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja will help him a lot during the series.

"Just a day before the announcement, I was told that the opportunity might come and I might have to lead. I have captained the side before. It is something that is very exciting. I look forward to enjoying that responsibility. I have always enjoyed responsibility, making the right decisions for the team. That's about it. I don't think too much about it," KL Rahul said.

"I obviously have Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli), Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja), all the senior players around me who will help out. How we have all played our cricket is to think of it as we are all leaders and we try and do the best for the team. That continues whether I am captain or someone else is captain. It is always a collective effort to doing something in the direction of a bigger goal."

Jadeja has obviously been part of the Indian team for so many years - Rahul

Ravindra Jadeja will be making his comeback to the ODI team for the South Africa series after missing out on the Australia tour, and he has replaced Axar Patel in the squad.

Talking about him, KL Rahul said that he is delighted to have Ravindra Jadeja back in the squad. Rahul elaborated:

"Jadeja has obviously been part of the Indian team for so many years and he has done the job time and again. I am happy to have him back again with the ODI team. He missed out the Australia series but he was part of the Champions Trophy as well.

"And he was key in us winning that tournament. He is someone who can do everything and he is someone who has always done everything that the team has required of him. So, having him, having his experience obviously is great for me as a captain or whoever is captaining."

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