IPL 2020 | Very 'happy and proud' moment to get appointed as India's vice-captain, opines KL Rahul
KXIP skipper and Indian batsman KL Rahul is elated with the news of him being appointed as deputy to Virat Kohli for ODIs and T20Is for Australia and said he's happy and proud of the same. The right-hander has stamped his authority in the last few months in limited-overs cricket for India.
2020 is turning out to be an exceptional year for KL Rahul. First of all, he cemented his place in limited-overs cricket as a gloveman taking over from an inconsistent Rishabh Pant, and has been successfully leading Kings XI Punjab in the ongoing IPL whilst being the highest-run-getter, all of which culminated in him being named as Virat Kohli's deputy for the white-ball series in Australia in the absence of senior cricketer Rohit Sharma.
Rahul just can't do any wrong this year. The stylish right-hander who bats at No.5 for India in ODIs and opens in T20Is, is averaging 70.00 with a strike-rate of 107.69 in 50-overs cricket and 53.83 with a strike-rate of 144.84 in T20Is, this year. When it comes to IPL, he is the orange cap holder with 595 runs in 12 games at 59.50. Rahul has led KXIP to the fourth position with 12 points after 12 games in the points table thus far, and they are pretty much in line to make it to the final four if they continue their belligerent run of form.
Reflecting on his rise to India's vice-captaincy in white-ball cricket, 28-year-old Rahul expressed his happiness and stated that it's a proud moment for him to be given such a big responsibility.
"It is a very happy and proud moment. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm very happy. I am ready for responsibility and challenge and I will try to do my best for my team as much as I can," KL Rahul has said as quoted by his franchise KXIP, reported India Today.
Now, IPL 2020 has entered the business end and we are very close to the playoffs stage with every passing game. After that, India will travel to Australia for a full-fledged tour. But Rahul wants to stay in the present and is taking one thing at a time.
"I am looking forward to the coming tour but the next 2-3 weeks before that are very important. The next 2-3 months will be very important. I am thinking about one day at a time, not much forward at the moment," Rahul further added.