India's ODI captain KL Rahul has expressed genuine excitement about the potential presence of legendary former captain MS Dhoni at the first One Day International between India and South Africa. The match is scheduled to take place at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi, which happens to be Dhoni's hometown.
Emotional Homecoming in Ranchi
The Indian team aims to make a strong comeback after their recent 2-0 Test series defeat against South Africa through this ODI series opener. Rahul, who made his memorable ODI debut under Dhoni's leadership with a century in Harare back in 2016, will be taking on multiple responsibilities similar to Dhoni's legendary role - leading the team while keeping wickets and finishing games with the bat.
"We've all played under him. We've been his fans, and we've all played together," Rahul stated during the pre-match press conference. "So we are all friends, and to know someone like MS, it's a very happy opportunity to know someone as big as MS and someone who is so successful as an Indian player, and we all respect him as a human being."
The captain emphasized that if Dhoni attends the match, it would boost not only the crowd's enthusiasm but also the players' motivation. "So if he also comes to watch the match, not only the crowd, we will get more excited," he added. "So, we will also enjoy playing here, and hopefully we can win the game, put up a good performance and entertain the crowd, and for MS Dhoni, he will also feel happy that we won the game."
Rahul's Role and Team Strategy
Rahul confirmed that he will continue batting at the crucial number six position, a role he has mastered since the Champions Trophy. "I will be batting in the same position. I have been playing at number six since the Champions Trophy, so I will be batting there," he clarified.
The captain also discussed the team's flexible options, mentioning all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Reddy as valuable assets. "We have all these options, so we will see what the best eleven is, and we will make that decision in the evening, and you will know tomorrow," he explained about the final team selection.
Kohli and Rohit's Impactful Return
Rahul shared his thoughts on the return of senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the ODI setup, highlighting their immense value to the team. He particularly praised Kohli's mastery in strike rotation, calling it a crucial aspect of ODI cricket that often goes unnoticed.
"Taking singles is as important as hitting boundaries in ODI cricket and in Test cricket, maybe not as much in the T20 format," Rahul observed. "That's something Virat has done so well over his career, and it's something that we've looked at Virat and tried to learn."
The captain revealed that the team has been actively learning from Kohli's expertise. "Even in the dressing room, we all talked to him and Rohit about how we can get better as batsmen, and how we can rotate the strike a lot more. He's obviously the master at doing that in ODI cricket."
Rahul expressed genuine happiness about having the experienced duo back in the dressing room. "We're really happy that he's back in the dressing room. He's very excited to be here and play these games. Their importance at any point is huge. To have senior players in the team obviously makes the dressing room feel a lot more confident."
"Just having their presence and experience helps out a lot of players in the dressing room and helps out the team. We're really happy that they're here," Rahul concluded, emphasizing the positive atmosphere the senior players bring to the squad.
