‘It came as a huge surprise’ – KL Rahul recalls unexpected moment when Virat Kohli asked him to lead India

Indian batter KL Rahul has recalled an incident where batting legend Virat Kohli came up to him and told him that he might have to lead the Indian side. Rahul added that this came as a huge surprise to him as he did not expect the responsibility to fall on his shoulders.

Rahul added that he was the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team at that time and he was slowly preparing himself to lead the side. Rahul also revealed that on the morning of the second Test match against the South African side, Kohli came to him and told him that his back was not good, and he might have to lead the side.

“Like everyone else, it came to me as a huge surprise to me. I was the vice-captain. As a vice-captain you slowly prepare yourself to become the captain in due time. But then I didn’t expect it to come to me so quickly and in such circumstances: the morning of the game, Virat (Kohli) came to me in the bus and said, ‘My back is not feeling great, you might have to captain the team,” said Rahul in a chat on the Red Bull Cricket Room hosted by Clubhouse.

My mindset did not change a lot: KL Rahul

KL Rahul also added that his mindset did not change after he went out to lead the Indian side. Adding that every player is his own captain, Rahul admitted that when the tag ‘Captain’ is next to a player’s name, he feels proud. The right-handed batter concluded by stating that he is very grateful for the opportunity bestowed on him.

“It didn’t put me off or my mindset didn’t change a lot. All of us, in some way or the other, when we play the game we are our own captain and in our head we are playing situations like we are a captain. When that ‘C’ in the team list comes, it does feel new and it is something you are proud of. It is an honour not many people get and it is something you always dream of and I was very happy, very grateful,” concluded KL Rahul.