Wasim Jaffer says KL Rahul thrives without captaincy burden

Wasim Jaffer has backed KL Rahul to flourish in the Indian Test side now that leadership responsibility no longer falls on his shoulders. The former Punjab Kings batting coach argued that captaincy places an unnecessary burden on Rahul's natural game and that the right-hander is far more effective when allowed to bat without that weight.

For the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, Shubman Gill has been appointed Test captain while Rahul takes on the vice-captain's role. The series opens in Galle on August 15, before moving to Colombo for the second Test.

Ahead of the series, Rahul featured in India's warm-up fixture against SLC XI, a three-day contest that concluded on August 9. Batting as an opener in the first innings, he made 40 off 67 balls before sitting out the second innings entirely.

The statistics from the current World Test Championship cycle lend weight to Rahul's credentials. The opening batter is India's second-highest run-scorer in the WTC 2025-27 cycle, sitting behind only Gill, having gathered 796 runs across nine Tests at an average of 48.47. That record places him among the most consistent performers in the Indian batting order during this period, and it has come largely while he has been free of captaincy obligations.

"KL Rahul's personality is better off not captaining because if you leave him to play, I think he'll always give you 500-600 runs. He's a bankable player. He will win 2-3 games on his own, which he does in every season," Jaffer said, speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.

Jaffer was careful to separate the question of technique from the question of temperament. He did not point to any flaw in Rahul's batting method but instead suggested that the additional demands of leading a side alter the way Rahul approaches his innings.

"So I just feel that with the kind of personality he has, captaincy just puts a bit of added pressure on him, Jaffer added.

With Gill now carrying the captaincy for the Sri Lanka series, Rahul can direct his full attention to batting. The Galle Test will be an early chance for him to demonstrate the consistency Jaffer believes he is capable of producing when unburdened by leadership duties.