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Cricket Players'Hadn't given it a thought till names came out': KL Rahul has his say on prospects of replacing Kohli as Test captain
Rahul also mentioned the key captaincy learnings he picked up from Kohli and said that he would want to continue on that that and built on it.
Stand-in ODI skipper KL Rahul admitted that he did not consider giving Test captaincy a thought until he found his name popping up in the media on possible replacements for Virat Kohli as the team's Test skipper, but said that it would be a huge honour to lead the country in the traditional format.
Kohli had stepped down from Test captaincy last week after India's 2-1 series loss in South Africa. With world cricket shifting focus on possible replacements for the position, Rohit Sharma has emerged as the frontrunner alongside Rahul and Rishabh Pant. Rahul though as featured as a leader in two season of the Indian Premier League, he led the Indian team for the first time earlier this month in the Johannesburg Test.
"I had not given it a thought till the names came out, till the articles or news have been doing the rounds. Obviously, I had the opportunity to lead the Test side in Johannesburg and it was really special. The result did not go our way but it was a great learning experience for me and it would be something I will always be proud of," Rahul said during a virtual press conference.
Despite calling the Test captaincy opportunity an exciting prospect, Rahul wants to focus at the task in hand, the three-match ODI series against South Africa where he will feature as the stand-in skipper.
"Leading the country is always special for anyone and I am no different. Yes, it would be a huge responsibility if given to me (being the Test captain). It is something that is exciting, I am not really looking to anything forward, I am just focusing on the present," he added.
Rahul also mentioned the key captaincy learnings he picked up from Kohli and said that he would want to continue on that that and built on it.
"The whole world knows how passionate he is about Test cricket, or in general about cricket. He has always led from the front. He has brought about a lot of changes in the team. The winning belief that the team has is largely because of Kohli who has made us believe in ourselves and that we can go outside of India and beat any team. I would only want to continue that and build on it," he said.
The three-match ODI series will begin with the opener in Paarl on January 19. The venue will also host the second ODI before the final game of the tour is played in Cape Town.
