What is KL Rahul’s record as captain in one-dayers ahead of IND vs SA 2025 1st ODI?

KL Rahul will lead India in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, which starts at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. He will replace regular captain Shubman Gill, who recently missed the second Test against the Proteas due to a neck injury. The latter is unavailable for the 50-over series.

Rahul will lead the side for the first time since 2023, when he led India to a 2-1 win against the Proteas in a three-match away series in 2023/24.

The 33-year-old began his 50-over career on a poor note as India suffered a 0-3 whitewash against the Proteas in South Africa in the 2021/22 series. The Karantaka-born player then turned things around by helping the team complete a 3-0 whitewash in an ODI series in Zimbabwe in 2022.

Rahul also led India to a 227-run win in the third and final match of a three-match series in Bangladesh. Regular captain Rohit Sharma missed that game due to an injury.

The wicketkeeper-batter followed his winning spree in a 2023 World Cup warm-up series against Australia, guiding the Men in Blue to five-wicket and 99-run wins, respectively, in the first two games of a three-match series.

Players	Matches	Won	Lost	Win percentage	Tied	Draw	No Result
KL Rahul	12	8	4	66.66	0	0	0

KL Rahul's captaincy in the bilateral series for India (barring one-off game vs Bangladesh)

Series	Result	Year
SA vs IND (away)	India lost 0-3	2022
ZIM vs IND (away)	India won 3-0	2022
IND vs AUS (home)	India were leading 2-0 before settling for 2-1 (Rohit Sharma lost the last ODI as skipper)	2023
SA vs IND (away)	India won 2-1	2023

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What is KL Rahul’s record with the bat as captain in ODIs?

KL Rahul enjoys a decent record with the bat as captain in ODIs. The 33-year-old amassed 302 runs in 12 matches (10 innings) at an average of 33.55, including four half-centuries. As skipper, he slammed four half-centuries with a highest score of an unbeaten 58 against Australia in 2023.

Having said that, Rahul has managed just 187 runs in eight ODIs against the Proteas at an average of 26.71 with the help of two half-centuries. In those games, his strike rate was 70.83.

Overall, the right-handed batter has scored 3,092 runs in 88 ODIs (81 innings) at an average of 48.31, including seven tons and 18 fifties. Rahul recently missed out on a big score in the two-match Test series against South Africa. Thus, he will be looking to turn things around and lead by example in the 50-over format.