Former cricketers back KL Rahul as the next in line for Men in Blue captaincy

Former South African cricketer Shaun Pollock has backed KL Rahul as Team India captain as the veteran believes Rahul is slowly finding his feet as a captain. He also suggested that the 30-year-old is growing in confidence, and he also expects him to do well in the captaincy role.

The veteran run-scorer has faced criticism for not being proactive with his decisions on the field in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League. 

Moreover, he didn't have an excellent record as a captain, losing all three ODIs against South Africa earlier this year along with the only Test he captained against the same opposition at the Wanderers Stadium.

While speaking on Cricbuzz, Pollock shared how many fans and critics believe KL Rahul may not be a great leader. However, he added that things get easier for the player if he manages to lead from the front.

"A lot of people in the Indian setup who know Indian cricket really well have said that KL Rahul is a bit of a reluctant captain and is not a natural leader. But I think he is finding his feet and is coming to his own. When you are leading from the front with your performance, it makes the rest of the things easy," Shaun spoke, discussing the prospect of Rahul leading the national side.

On the other hand, former Indian player Ajay Jadeja has also stated that KL Rahul's abilities give him an edge over other players. However, he has got another chance as he will lead Team India in the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa in the absence of the regular captain Rohit Sharma. 

While the series will begin on June 9, they won't get the service of a few senior players, including former India captain Virat Kohli.

"KL Rahul has the ability and is far ahead than the rest. But, he is very moody, and we have seen him in different moods on different occasions. But, he has always been very calm," the ex-cricketer added.

Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Vaughan also lauded KL Rahul. He mentioned that the veteran batter could do well across all formats. He also stated that he often advises younger players to learn from KL Rahul.

"There's something about KL when he gets going into that kind of a rhythm and form. You can transcend that kind of play into 50-over cricket and Test match cricket. He just plays the pure way, and I always tell young players to try and copy the likes of KL Rahul because that foundation gives you the chance to play all formats of the game successfully," Vaughan explained his thoughts.

However, KL Rahul had an excellent campaign for his side Lucknow Super Giants, in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). He led from the front with the bat, scoring 616 runs from 15 matches, including two centuries and four fifties. And he will try to keep the momentum on with the T20 World Cup around the corner.