# Wasim Jaffer: KL Rahul better off without captaincy burden

2026-08-10T13:48:09+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer says KL Rahul plays best when freed from captaincy. On Doordarshan's The Great Indian Cricket Show, Jaffer argued that the star batsman's personality buckles under the added pressure of leadership and that he will always deliver 500-600 runs a season if left to focus on his batting alone. Rahul, one of India's senior players across formats, is not in contention for the captain's role in any format currently. With India set to face Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series starting in Galle, Rahul is expected to anchor the batting lineup purely as a senior batter. In a warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Cricket XI, Rahul opened and scored 40 off 67 balls. Shubman Gill captains the side, while Devdutt Padikkal boosted his case for the No. 3 spot with a 142-run knock.

## Coverage

- sports.ndtv.com <https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/kl-rahuls-personality-not-suited-for-captaincy-ex-pbks-coach-explains-why-11890041#publisher=newsstand>
- rediff.com <https://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/indias-tour-of-sri-lanka-k-l-rahul-better-off-without-captaincy/20260811.htm>

Tags: captaincy, cricket coach, Indian cricket, KL Rahul, PBKS
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