IPL 2023: 'Captain is someone who likes to lead from the front' - Jonty Rhodes backs KL Rahul as LSG skipper

IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants suffered its second season flop to Punjab Kings on Saturday. While skipper KL Rahul shone with the bat, critics have questioned his captaincy skills. However, Jonty Rhodes has decided to back him.

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Skipper KL Rahul has never been "plagued" by captaincy, said Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fielding coach Jonty Rhodes after the opener struck his first 50 of IPL Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. A prolific run-getter in the IPL, Rahul smashed 74 off 56 balls, albeit in a two-wicket loss. Rahul had also captained the Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Rhodes was part of that support staff.

"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. When given the captaincy, many great batters don't quite handle it. He's led from the front, and I think it's great to see that," Rhodes said at the post-match conference.

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The opener, however, struggled to get going this season, managing a high score of 35 before Saturday's knock. "When the captain is scoring runs, the way that he plays, he lays a perfect platform for others to play around them. We always knew that he was just one knock away. He's [Rahul's] been batting in the nets superbly. He's not the kind of player anybody worries about because we always know it's one innings away," added Rhodes.

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Against Punjab, when all other LSG batters failed to make an impact, Rahul batted till the 19th over, but Rhodes felt the skipper could have stayed around and provided the final flourish. "I think he will be satisfied with how the knock turned out today but possibly could've batted deeper," he concluded.

(With inputs from PTI)