Harare 17 August : Indian captain stand-in KL Rahul, on Wednesday praised the team’s management for creating a culture where players can thrive upon returning to the team following an injury, rather than being worried about their place in the team when he is back to lead the team against Zimbabwe. After a nearly three-month absence due to a hernia in the sport and Covid-19, Rahul is all set to take on India in the ODI series of three matches.
When he is on the field on Thursday it will be the second time he has played in a full series as captain.
“You may be absent for two months, but they don’t have forgotten the things you’ve done for your team or for the country in the past two to three years.
Players really thrive in such a setting,” the Indian captain stated on the morning of the first ODI match against Zimbabwe.
The 30-year-old also talked about the importance of backing talent.
“It is the type of setting that could help a person change from a decent player to becoming a top player and play a lot more match-winning games with his team” he said.
“It is vital for a player to have the support of coaches, selectors, and captain.
It gives you confidence that your mental state is clear , and you are able to concentrate on the things that are important.It is clear to the player to know that your supporters are backing you.” he added.
Rahul, who has ruled India in four international games so far but has yet to experience success.
Under his leadership, India were whitewashed in the ODI series in South Africa.He did not play in the England ODI series in which India beat the hosts 2-1 and the West Indies ODIs, where the Shikhar Dhawan-led team swept away West Indies 3-0.
However, the stylish batsman was included in the squad and was made captain when his injury was had healed.He was then able to play in the Zimbabwe series with Dhawan being moved to the role of deputy captain.
In his remarks on captaincy, the captain of the team stated that he can’t be anyone other than himself when asked to imitate MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma in terms of leadership calmness.
“I cannot go out there and play the role of someone other than I am.This isn’t honest to me, the players, or even to the game.My goal is to be who I am while letting the players be themselves however they like,” Rahul said.
“I can’t even think of comparing myself with the players Their numbers and achievements are way more impressive in terms of what they have accomplished for their country, and I don’t think that any name can be mentioned in the same way.It’s my second time as captain and, obviously I have played under him and have learned many things from his experience as an athlete.Because you’ve played for so long you can pick up some good traits from these players,” he added.
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