According to Jonty Rhodes, the fielding coach for the Lucknow Super Giants, KL Rahul has not been “plagued” by the captaincy. The LSG captain has frequently come under fire for failing to bat with intent because he let the pressure and responsibilities of the game cloud his judgment. In the post-game press conference, Rhodes discussed Rahul’s captaincy and noted that he enjoys leading by example and is unconcerned by the responsibility.
In the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 15, Rahul scored his first fifty of the IPL 2023 versus Punjab Kings (PBKS). After LSG lost the toss and was asked to bat first, he made an impressive 74 off 56 balls. The Lucknow captain’s remarkable performance, however, was in vain as his team managed only a dismal total of 159/8. With two wickets in hand, Punjab Kings successfully chased down the score in 19.3 overs.
At a press conference following the game, Rhodes asserted that Rahul was unaffected by being captain:
“The captain is someone who likes to lead from the front. He has always been a successful, dominating batter in all the IPLs. Captaincy isn’t something that’s ever plagued him. Many great batters when given captaincy don’t quite handle it. He’s led from the front and I think it’s great to see that.”
Before being dismissed by left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh on Saturday against PBKS, Rahul had smashed eight fours and a six throughout his innings.
“KL Rahul is not the kind of player anybody worries about”: Rhodes
When asked about the LSG captain’s performance against PBKS, Rhodes said that the team was confident in the batter because of how well he had been practicing. He stated:
“When the captain’s scoring runs, the way that he plays he lays a really good platform for others to play around them. We always knew that he was just one knock away. He’s been batting in the nets superbly. He’s not the kind of player anybody worries about because we always know it’s literally one inning away.”
Yet, the South African legend acknowledged that the captain might have continued to bat because he was the designated middle-order batsman. Added Rhodes:
“I think he himself will be satisfied with the way the knock turned out today but possibly could’ve batted deeper.”
On the last over of Lucknow’s innings, Rahul was out, and the batting side was unable to add one last flourish. Sikandar Raza and Shahrukh Khan both contributed significantly to Punjab’s successful 160-run pursuit 57* off 41 and 23* off 10 respectively.