CHENNAI: When KL Rahul wore the Indian blazer and walked out for the toss for the first time in the second Test against South Africa in January, the prospects of qualifying for the final of the World Test Championship final looked promising. Back then, he was named deputy to Virat Kohli and had to step in in the middle of the series.
Cut to December and Rahul finds himself in a similar position again. This time, he will be leading India in place of Rohit Sharma, who was ruled out of the first Test against Bangladesh. Unlike in January, Rahul and India find themselves in a tricky position when it comes to qualifying for the WTC final.
A lot has changed since that Test in Johannesburg. The permanent captains have changed, for instance. In fact, they have had four Test skippers this year (Kohli, Rahul, Rohit and Jasprit Bumrah). They have been impacted by injuries in almost every Test series Kohli in SA, Axar Patel vs Sri Lanka, Rohit in England and Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja against Bangladesh to name a few. More than anything else, since the time Rahul led India in that Test at Johannesburg, India has lost three of the five matches they have played. And now, they have to win five of the six matches that are ahead — two against Bangladesh and four versus Australia – to be in contention. Two losses and they might be eliminated.
Which is why, at some level, the way India fairs in the first Test match that begins on Wednesday is more crucial for Rahul than in the past. And he is aware of it as well. “We know where we stand and what we need to do to qualify for the final,” said the Indian captain.
While Rahul himself is a stand-in captain for Rohit, Cheteshwar Pujara has made a comeback and is now vice-captain for the first Test. The opener was candid about the appointment of his original role as vice-captain. “I don’t know the criteria, whoever is picked, you give them a pat on the back and continue. Even for me when I became vice-captain, you get happy. You have the responsibility of the team, it really does not change too many things in the team,” he said.
Twice in the year, Rahul has been elevated to lead the team from being a deputy. He hopes for Rohit to be fit and play the second Test. And if he does, the 30-year-old would be hoping to hand over the team back in a much better position than he did to Kohli in South Africa. For, a lot more is at stake than it was in Johannesburg.