IND vs ZIM: I Can't Even Compare Myself As A Leader With MS Dhoni And Rohit Sharma Because... – KL Rahul Ahead Of 1st ODI

Star India National Cricket Team opener KL Rahul, who has been appointed as India’s captain for the Zimbabwe tour, said that his captaincy approach can’t be compared with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni as they have done a lot for the country as captains and he is still a very young skipper.

Initially, Shikhar Dhawan was named as Team India’s skipper for the Zimbabwe tour. However, KL Rahul, who was a last-minute addition to the squad, replaced Dhawan as the captain a few days after the squad announcement.

Rahul, who is the skipper of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), made his captaincy debut in a Test match against South Africa after Virat Kohli was ruled out of the game due to fitness issues. He also led Team India in the ODI series on the same South Africa tour after Rohit Sharma got ruled out of the series. So far, Rahul has not tasted a victory at the international level as a skipper.

At the pre-match press conference, KL Rahul was asked if he can talk about his calm approach to captaincy and how it is different from MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma’s style. He responded:

“I don’t know. I don’t compare, personally. The names (MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma), I can’t even compare myself as a leader with these guys because their numbers or achievements are far greater and what they have done for the country, I don’t think anyone should be put in the same breath.

“For me, I am still young and this is my second series as captain. Obviously, I have played under them and learned a lot from them and as players and as guys in the team, you learn from each other over the years. I have a picked up a few qualities from these guys.”

“A captain has to be true to himself, then it spreads to the players. I am a calm person and I can’t go out there and try to be something else. I believe that is not fair to myself and to the team and to the game. I try to be myself in the best way possible. You try to let other players be themselves and express themselves,” he said on the eve of the first ODI in Zimbabwe.

I have been away for two months and wanted to get back into the dressing room – KL Rahul

The 30-year-old further talked about the mood in the dressing room on his return to the side after a long time, Rahul said:

“Firstly, I always look at myself as a player and I’m only a captain or a leader once you cross the boundary line. We have played together for a long time with this same group, we’ve toured before.

“We have been in the same dressing room, we have played a lot of IPL cricket together and against each other, there’s a lot of respect for the talent everybody has and how they have performed.”

He added said that it is a great challenge for him as the captain to help the players to perform to the best of their ability under his leadership. KL Rahul said:

“I have been away for two months and wanted to get back into the dressing room, have a chat and have laughter around the group. You try and have a quiet word with everybody and share your experiences of what the conditions were like. It’s a great challenge for all of us as a group and a great challenge for me as a leader to get this young group to perform to their best ability.”

Also Read: IND vs ZIM: If Someone Has Been Named Captain, He Should Remain Captain: Mohammad Kaif On KL Rahul’s Replacing Shikhar Dhawan As Skipper