KL Rahul reveals what he has learned from watching captains like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

After cementing his spot in India’s limited-overs side, KL Rahul is all set to lead Kings XI Punjab in the thirteenth edition of the IPL. The much-awaited IPL 2020, after facing delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, is all set to commence from September 19th in UAE.

Rahul has had an impressive stint with the Indian side, especially in the past few months. Along with delivering with the bat, he also performed exceptionally well behind the stumps. After proving his mettle in batting and wicketkeeping, Rahul will be eager to steer KXIP to success in the upcoming IPL edition.

Rahul’s ascendancy to captaincy was on the cards after KXIP traded Ravichandran Ashwin to Delhi Capitals. Excited to don the skipper’s hat in IPL 2020, Rahul highlighted the difference between the captaincy styles of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Rahul revealed different things which he learned after watching these successful captains.

“Yes, yes. Dhoni’s calmness and belief showed in backing players who had the potential to be matchwinners. Virat’s passion in the way he leads, the way he wants the boys to be better and better. Rohit always plays with a passion and backs players,” Rahul told Indian Express.

I too was emotional after MS Dhoni’s retirement: KL Rahul

Rahul, like many other cricketers, had reacted to Dhoni’s departure from international cricket. Social media was flooded with tributes and wishes for the India stalwart. Rahul heaped praise on Dhoni’s calmness and revealed that he also got emotional after knowing about Dhoni’s international retirement.

“Like the rest of the country I too was emotional, we all would have wanted to play some more cricket with him. As I said, his calmness was insane and valuable in the dressing room,” said Rahul.

The Karnataka stalwart further revealed that he isn’t going to follow any template while leading KXIP in IPL 2020. Rahul said that he has always played the game thinking as if he’s the captain on the field. According to him, one can’t plan too much as it can eventually lead to confusion.

“I always played the game thinking as if I’m the captain. At the ground, I always think of what I would have done in a particular situation. Whom I would have bowled in a situation? I was always proactive in my head and it’s just an extension of that.

I know it will be harder than I think. I am not going in with any expectations like I have played cricket so many years. I will get on the field and try to make decisions at the moment. You can’t plan too much because it could be confusing,” added Rahul.