"What A Year...": Ex-India Star's Huge Praise For KL Rahul After South Africa Triumph

22.12.2023 - 21:41 sports.ndtv.com

Former Indian cricket team all-rounder Irfan Pathan was all praise for KL Rahul for his captaincy following India's historic ODI series victory over South Africa on Thursday.

India beat South Africa in the series-decider by 78 runs as Rahul became the second India skipper ever to win an ODI series on South African soil.

Pathan pointed out that Rahul has been having a brilliant 2023 - both as skipper and batter - and mentioned the huge record that the cricketer achieved as captain of the Indian cricket team. "And what a year KL Rahul is having, nearly an average of 70 with bat in hand.

As only the 2nd Indian captain to win a series on the South African soil." Irfan posted on X (formerly called Twitter). Rahul praised his group of young players after Sanju Samson hit a maiden international century and set up a series-deciding win for India against South Africa in the third one-day international in Paarl.

cricket South Africa Cricket Team India Cricket Team South Africa vs India Aiden Markram Irfan Pathan Kl Rahul South Africa India

As India's tour of South Africa concludes, there remain plenty of questions that the selectors and the team management are left to answer. The performances of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Prasidh Krishna left much to desire while a few others managed to deliver in fragments. As far as the No. 5 debate goes in the Test team, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels it's a position that will be decided between KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer once wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant is fully fit and ready to return.

"Injury Can Happen To" Jasprit Bumrah: Ex-India Star On Need For Bowling Depth

India must focus on increasing the bench strength of their pace attack in 2024 as the Centurion Test exposed chinks in that department, reckons former pacer Irfan Pathan. Mohammed Shami's absence was felt badly in the heavy loss to South Africa in the opening Test of the two-match series in the Rainbow Nation last week.

"What He Needs To Aspire Is...": Ex-India Star's Honest Take On KL Rahul

Despite being critical of him in the past, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad was full of praise for KL Rahul, saying that the wicketkeeper-batter enjoyed playing ODI cricket in 2023. Rahul finished 2023 with 1203 runs in 30 matches across all formats for India, and finished the year on a high with a century in the first innings of the 1st Test against South Africa in Centurion. The batter also played a crucial role in India's journey to the World Test Championship and World Cup finals. Prasad, who has been critical of Rahul in the past for his inconsistent performances, feels the player should also stake his authority when it comes to Test cricket.

"No Sharpness In Bowling": Ex-India Star Blasts Pacers After Loss To South Africa In First Test

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has highlighted the lack of planning while bowling to the South African batters in the first Test in Centurion last week. The Proteas defeated India by an innings and 32 runs in the first Test at the SuperSport Park, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who bagged four wickets in South Africa's first innings, the Indian pacers struggled against the Proteas, with Dean Elgar smashing 185.

India vs South Africa: Ex India Star's Dig At "Broadcasters" After KL Rahul's Century

KL Rahul was in tremendous form as he slammed a gritty century on Day 2 of the first Test match between India and South Africa in Centurion on Wednesday. The innings was crucial for India as the visitors kept losing wickets on the other end and it impressed both experts and fans alike. Following the match, during the analysis on his YouTube channel, former India opener Aakash Chopra was all praise for Rahul but said that whether the innings will go down in history as "one of the best" will depend on how much the broadcasters, media and social media play it out in the future.

Ex-India Star's 'Lord Hanuman' Inspired Praise For KL Rahul Wins Internet

Former Indian cricket team all-rounder Irfan Pathan lauded KL Rahul's gritty century on Day 2 of the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion with a reference to 'Lord Hanuman'. Rahul was the top performer for India with a brilliant century as wickets kept falling on the other end and he was the main reason why India could reach the respectable total of 245. Pathan took to social media to post a video of Rahul's batting along with the caption - Sankatmochan (the saviour - another name of Lord Hanuman).