The Indian cricket team is in the middle of the first of three Test matches against South Africa at Gauteng where the exceptional batting performance by KL Rahul alongside Mayank Agarwal’s second fiddle innings gave Virat Kohli’s side an incredible start on Day 1. However, with Day 2 getting washed off due to rain, the strategies for both sides are bound to change significantly.

There is another issue that may lead to further changes in strategy for the Indian cricket board, especially with regards to the ODI series which is scheduled to take place from 19th January, just a few days after the conclusion of the third and final Test of India’s tour.

The recently crowned captain of white-ball cricket for India, Rohit Sharma has been struggling with a hamstring injury. As a result, he had to miss out on the ongoing red-ball series and focus on getting himself completely recovered at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. 

However, when it comes to injuries, especially the ones in the hamstrings, the chances of delayed recoveries are always a matter of discussion and the BCCI are well-versed with this fact. As a result, they have decided to stall the announcement of their 15-man squad for the ODI series as they hold their breath to hear the good news about Sharma getting back to health quickly.

Although there is still a lot of time before the ODIs begin, the BCCI are already making contingency plans and have announced that KL Rahul will be filling the shoes of the Hitman and lead the team in the three 50-over matches against the Proteas. 

While there have always been a few critics questioning Rahul’s abilities as a batter and a skipper, the fact that he already has leadership experience while captaining the Punjab Kings franchise for the past couple of years, and also the incredible batting form that he continues to be in, make him the number-one option to replace Sharma as the main man. 

Furthermore, Kohli, who was stripped of ODI captaincy before the role was handed over to Sharma, had also confirmed that he will be playing in the three ODIs, after rumours of the 33-year-old making himself unavailable for the series had broken out in India cricket media before the squad left for South Africa.

View the full article