(Cricket news) KL Rahul's white ball career has been a steady climb but his red ball career has been up and down over the years. The past year has been a revelation in his Test career. When KL Rahul was selected for the Border Gavaskar trophy 2020/21 the decision had its own set of critics that said that bringing him back based on IPL performances after dropping him for bad Test performances doesn't make sense. 

Rahul sat out the entire tour of Australia, the home series against England and the World Test Championship. Shubman Gill was ruled out of the England series and Mayank Agarwal was all set to replace him. Agarwal was hit on the helmet during a net session and was ruled out of the game due to concussion issues. KL Rahul, who was essentially the 5th choice opener 2 tours ago got a golden opportunity at Nottingham and scored a fantastic 84. He backed it up with a match-winning century at Lords for which he was named Player of the Match. He scored another crucial 46 at the Oval which India won. 

After missing the home series against New Zealand due to injury, KL Rahul scored a century in the 1st game against South Africa at Centurion. He was also named vice captain of the side after Ajinkya Rahane was removed from the position and his replacement Rohit Sharma injured himself. India won the match at Centurion and Rahul was named Player of the Match. Virat Kohli suffered a back spasm before the start of the 2nd Test at Johannesburg and KL Rahul walked out in a blazer for the toss and became the 34th player to captain the Indian men's Test team.

From not being in the squad to becoming Test captain in an important away game against South Africa, KL Rahul has come a very long way in such a short period of time. He has had a bit of luck with injuries to competitors but eventually his performances on the field has made him a regular in all 3 formats. He is also the new white ball vice-captain and will captain the side in the ODIs against South Africa in place of the injured Rohit Sharma. 

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