Series on the line for India

In a do or die match, KL-led team will take on buoyant SA side today.

NT Correspondent

KL Rahul will have to show drastically improved leadership acumen when he leads India against a buoyant South African side in the second ODI on Friday, with the three-match series and his long-term Test captaincy ambitions both at stake.

Rahul was at best mediocre in terms of “on-your-feet-thinking”, something that’s basic to the art of captaincy, and also didn’t look the part with the bat in a deflating 31-run defeat in the opening ODI where India were outplayed for the better part of the game.

The middle-order, which had been a problem since Virat Kohli’s heady days as captain, is still sticking out like a sore thumb and no one knows what exactly the solution is.

South Africa crushed India both strategically as well as on skills and therein lay serious questions about Rahul’s wares as captain.

If Venkatesh is playing as a specialist batter at No.6 then why not use Suryakumar Yadav, who is more experienced with a better range of strokes under pressure?

The difference between the two sides was how the spinners fared -- Ashwin and Chahal in their combined 20 overs gave away 106 runs for a single wicket while Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj bowled 26 overs between them for 124 runs and snared four wickets between them.

Test captaincy is a different ball-game compared to white ball but Rahul only knows too well that when it comes to decisionmaking, the top brass will fall back on references they have.

And a series defeat against South Africa isn’t going to do his case any good unless the head coach is bent on trying to make a leader out of him.

Rohit, Pant & Ashwin feature in ‘Test Team’; no Indian in ODI XI

The flamboyant Rohit Sharma featured as opener, Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper and R Ashwin as the lone specialist spinner in the ICC men’s ‘Test Team of the Year’ but no Indian player was included in the global body’s ODI XI for 2021.

After going unrepresented in the ICC men’s ‘T20 Team of the Year’ due to a disastrous World Cup campaign in the UAE, it was no surprise to see the Indians miss out in the apex body’s ODI side as well after playing just six matches, even as the list featured two players from minnows Ireland.