KL Rahul made his India captaincy debut during the 2nd Test against South Africa in Johannesburg. Rahul was elevated to the role after Virat Kohli complained of back spasm and had to sit out from the contest.
On an individual level, Rahul struck a fifty but under him, India ended up losing the Test by seven wickets which is also the first time they have been beaten in the format at the venue. Kohli, who will return to lead the side for the series-decider in Cape Town, praised his deputy for his positive approach and reckoned that South Africa were simply too good in the chase.
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“He (Rahul) has handled it in a balanced way,” Kohli said on Monday. “What I saw from his plans and field placements that he tried his best to get wickets and breakthroughs in the second innings. But the situation was such that South Africa played well to chase the runs. I don’t thing anything much could have done.”
While Kohli is known for his animated presence and wild celebrations, Rahul went for a measured approach something which has also been a feature of his captaincy when he led Punjab Kings in IPL.
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Kohli though admitted he would have done things differently than Rahul at The Wanderers without elaborating the specifics.
“Everyone has different styles in captaincy. I would have done a bit differently too but the intent would have been to get the wickets. I think he worked in a balance manner,” Kohli said.
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India took a 1-0 lead thanks to a massive win in Centurion, their first ever Test win at the venue. However, led by captain Dean Elgar’s superlative innings in the chase, the hosts bounced back in style, chasing down 240 on the fourth day of the second Test.
The decider gets underway from Tuesday.
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