Dashing top-order batsman KL Rahul has a huge new responsibility to his name as his franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) has handed him the role of a captain in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season. Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar is of the opinion that a successful season for ‘skipper Rahul’ this term can even pave way for him to become the vice-captain of the Indian national team.
“There is a great chance for KL Rahul to show that he can score runs when given the responsibility. Secondly, he can show that he is capable of captaining a side and how he moulds his team and extracts effort. If he does that well he can even go on to become the vice-captain of the Indian team,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
The Indian team presently has quite a few leaders in the form of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane (in different formats) but Gavaskar believes Rahul could be the next in line to take up a leadership role and can even become the India captain.
“There are still players in the Indian team like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane. But going forward, he can be an option for the selection committee and can also become India’s future captain. So, this can be a huge tournament for KL Rahul as a skipper,” the original Little Master believes.
KXIP have an exciting squad this season as well, boasting of experienced and young players. As for Gavaskar, the uncapped player he would put for sure in the Kings XI line-up would be pacer Ravi Bishnoi who is seen as an exciting talent by many across the Indian cricketing spectrum.
“I will pick India U19 player Ravi Bishnoi and give him a chance in my XI at the beginning of the tournament. Because in the UAE, there will not be much of pressure on him,” Gavaskar opined.
