KL Rahul's captaincy appointment for Sri Lanka ODIs a no-brainer, claims ex-India cricketer

Indian Cricket Team captain Rohit Sharma is expected to skip the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. With Hardik Pandya reportedly unavailable due to personal reasons, KL Rahul is expected to step in as the interim captain for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Rahul, who has previously led Team India in ODI cricket, has experience working with new head coach Gautam Gambhir at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) when he was a mentor in the IPL, and it would work in the Indian wicketkeeper’s favor for the much-talked-about role.

KL Rahul expected to step up as India’s interim ODI captain

According to media reports, Gambhir is clear about his choice for the interim captaincy for the ODI series against Sri Lanka in the absence of Rohit, with the T20I and ODI squads for the tour expected to be announced by the BCCI on July 17.

Shubman Gill, who recently led India’s T20I team against Zimbabwe, Hardik, and Rahul are reportedly the frontrunners for the ODI captaincy in Rohit’s absence. With Sharma expecting to take a break, keeping in mind the upcoming hectic Test schedule, the responsibility of leading the Men in Blue in the ODI series against Sri Lanka is set to fall on Rahul.

Rahul's experience and leadership skills, combined with his familiarity with Gambhir's coaching style, make him the most logical choice to lead the team in the upcoming Sri Lanka series.

Dodda Ganesh backs KL Rahul for ODI captaincy for Sri Lanka tour

Reacting to the notions, former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Dodda Ganesh backed Rahul for ODI captaincy. The commentator said that there is no brainer in selecting Rahul as India’s wicketkeeper and captain for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 2 in Colombo.

Ganesh shared his views on the microblogging site X on July 17. Dodda Ganesh posted on X: “KL Rahul should be the WK and captain for the ODI leg of the tour of SL. It’s a no-brainer. #SLvIND.”

KL Rahul should be the WK and Captain for the ODI leg of the tour of SL. It’s a no brainier #<!---->S<!---->L<!---->v<!---->I<!---->N<!---->D

— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->1<!---->7<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

Notably, KL Rahul last played an ODI match in December 2023 against South Africa, while his last T20I appearance was against England in November 2022. He is already out of contention for test selection.

He has so far played 72 T20Is for Team India, scoring 2265 runs at a strike rate of 139. The Karnataka star has 2820 runs to his name in ODI cricket in 75 matches. He scored seven centuries and 18 fifties in the format.

It was not a huge deal: Amit Mishra on LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka's outburst at KL Rahul

Meanwhile, veteran LSG spinner Amit Mishra recently said that Sanjiv Goenka had the right to be angry with KL Rahul, as he was sharing his opinion on the infamous incident that took place during an IPL 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Amit Mishra said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast: “He (LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka) was very disappointed. We lost two back-to-back matches very badly. Against KKR, we lost by some 90–100 runs, and against SRH, the match was finished within 10 overs. If I am so angry about it, will someone who has actually put money into the team not feel angry?.”