KL Rahul confirms his batting position for India vs South Africa ODI series

India's stand-in white-ball captain KL Rahul has confirmed that he'll open the innings in the three-ODI series against South Africa, which begins Wednesday.

Rahul last played 50-over cricket in March 2021 against England at home. He batted at No. 5 in all three games - and did well to score 177 runs, including a century - with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan taking up the opening duties.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Rahul said the team required him to play in the middle-order then but in Rohit's absence here, he'll return to the top. He said:

"Yes, in the last 14-15 months I have batted at No. 5, No. 4, different positions. That's what the team needed of me then. Now, I think, with Rohit not being here I'll bat at the top of the order."

Rahul also admitted that opening the batting in this series won't take anything away from the team's mantra of "flexibility" and that he can again shift to the middle-order if the need arises.

The 29-year-old asserted that the team doesn't want to be "predictable" and all players are aware of that.

"We have to be flexible. We recently talked that we don't want to be a team that's predictable. There might be games where I have to bat in the middle-order or in the lower-order because that's what the team needs. I might have to open the batting at some time which I am OK with.

"All of us in the team understand that in a team game, everyone will have to be flexible. There are team plans, there's a strategy and game plan and everyone will have to be flexible accordingly. Everyone will have their roles clear but they also know they'll have to be ready for certain things the team wants them to do."

Rohit Sharma is nursing a hamstring injury and is likely to return for India's home series against West Indies.

Rahul's shift to the top of the order might mean that he'll also not keep wickets, which will allow India to test Shreyas Iyer at No.4 followed by Rishabh Pant at No.5 in the build-up to the 2023 World Cup.

"Personally been someone who's enjoyed watching Shikhar Dhawan play in ODIs" - KL Rahul

Rahul also spoke about Dhawan, who, if selected, will play his first international match since July. The skipper informed that Dhawan is in a nice space and understands what is expected of him.

He added that he's admired Dhawan's batting style too, saying he'll only try and help him carry that forward.

"Look, you said it yourself, he's a senior player and a very experienced player. He understands exactly what is expected out of him and he seems to be in a great space. He's come out here and is really having fun and really enjoying his cricket.

"I think, yeah, for me as a captain it'll be just about trying to keep him in that space and trying to give him that confidence to go out there and do what he's been doing for so many years and just to enjoy his cricket and keep giving team India the starts that he's done."

Rahul concluded by saying:

"I have personally been someone who's enjoyed watching Shikhar play in ODIs and the way he takes down the bowlers. So, yeah, the talk has been about to continue doing what he's been doing so well for so many years."

The first ODI will begin at 2:00 pm IST in Paarl.