India vs South Africa 2021–22: Gautam Gambhir Speaks Up on KL Rahul’s Captaincy, Says, ‘You Need To Be an Aggressive Captain, Not by Attitude, but With Your Field Placements’

KL Rahul's maiden Test match as captain did not go according to how he would have wanted with South Africa beating India to level the series 1-1 in Johannesburg earlier this week. Rahul led the side in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, who was ruled out with a back spasm. Gautam Gambhir, while reacting to the defeat, said that India surely missed Kohli both as batsman and captain. Talking to Star Sports, he shared his thoughts on Rahul's captaincy and said that the latter needed to be more aggressive with field placements and not just by attitude. Virat Kohli Fitness Update: Head Coach Rahul Dravid Feels 33-Year Old Should Be ‘Good To Go’ in India vs South Africa 3rd Test 2021–22 in Cape Town

"But KL Rahul, the more time he spends, the better he will learn, but the faster he learns the better it is. This is not like ODI or T20I captaincy, which is far easier because you don't have to focus much on field placements. In Test cricket you need to buy the wickets, sometimes even gamble with your choices. Like in the case of Bavuma, had he placed three slips instead of keeping one at the cover and tempted him into playing the drive maybe there could have been an opportunity for caught behind," the former cricketer explained, adding, "But he kept a deep point which was a defensive mindset and it is something that he should be told about. You need to be an aggressive captain, not by attitude, but with your field placements."

Gambhir also spoke up about how India not only missed Kohli the captain but as a batsman too, regardless of the latter's lean patch. "We definitely missed Virat Kohli the batsman. Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Rohit Sharma, these are the type of batters you miss. And it is difficult to find their replacement, no matter what form they are in because the expectation remains that they will score those big runs."

"But Kohli the captain, we missed him as well because he is so experienced and things turn simpler for experienced captains because they have been around for long,” he added. Kohli is expected to return to the side for the third and final Test match with India aiming for their first-ever series win in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Rahul's next captaincy assignment would be in the ODI series against South Africa, which gets underway from January 18. He was picked to lead the Indian side in the three-match series after Rohit Sharma was ruled out with injury.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 09, 2022 10:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).