KL Rahul would have become the 5th youngest captain to lead India in all formats, however, the injury he attainted saw him get ruled out of the entire series against South Africa at home.
READ | IND vs SA: KL Rahul to become 5th youngest captain to lead India in all formats, here are others
The batter, just a day before the first game was scheduled to begin, suffered a groin injury and had to leave the Indian camp. He would now be part of the NCA in Bengaluru.
Missing out on such an important game has got the star batter 'gutted' but he also believes he is up for another challenge.
Sharing a heartfelt message on his Twitter, he wrote, "Hard to accept but I begin another challenge today. Gutted not to be leading the side for the first time at home, but the boys have all my support from the sidelines. Heartfelt thanks to all for your support. Wishing Rishabh and the boys all the luck for the series. See you soon".
In fact, KL Rahul is not the only one who got injured as spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also been ruled out of the entire series after hurting his right hand while batting in the nets session.
With Rishabh Pant now leading the Indian side, the BCCI named Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain for the series.
This team will be heading into the series without regular captain Rohit Sharma, former captain Virat Kohli and pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who were rested ahead of the series.
