What happened the last time KL Rahul captained India in an ODI?

Team India named their 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia on Monday (September 18).

While some senior players, including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav have been rested from the first two games, they will be available for the third ODI.

Ajit Agarkar, India's chief selector, declared that wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul will captain the Men in Blue in the first two ODIs. The two ODIs will be played on September 22 and September 24, in Mohali and Indore, respectively.

It won't be the first time KL Rahul will lead India in an international game. The 31-year-old has captained India 11 times across the three formats.

In ODIs, he has led the country seven times, with India winning four of those games as compared to three losses. The last time he captained India in an ODI was during India's 2-1 ODI series loss against Bangladesh away from home in December 2022.

After Rohit Sharma spilt his webbing in the second ODI, he missed the third ODI, where KL Rahul was the interim skipper.

The third ODI, played in Chattogram, saw India record their biggest victory (in terms of runs) against Bangladesh in ODI history.

It was indeed a record-breaking match, as Ishan Kishan pummelled the fastest ODI double century when he scored 210 runs off 131 balls while opening the batting.

Clobbering 24 boundaries and 10 maximums, Kishan smashed the Bangladeshi bowlers to all over the park and was involved in a 290-run partnership alongside Virat Kohli. Kohli himself reached the three-digit mark, scoring 113 runs (off 91 balls).

Owing to Kishan's mastery and Kohli's brilliance, India went on to pile up 409 runs in their innings.

It was always going to be a herculean task for Bangladesh. The hosts eventually got bundled out for 182 runs in 34 overs. None of their batters even reached fifty, while Shardul Thakur took three wickets in India's 227-run triumph.

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India to test bench strength in the ODIs vs Australia

India have selected two squads for the ODIs vs Australia [Getty Images]

The Indian management has chosen to go ahead with two different squads for the upcoming ODI series against Australia. As mentioned earlier, the senior players will not be part of the first two ODIs.

With this, the Men in Blue will have a golden chance to test their bench strength ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup in India.

Moreover, with the addition of Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar in the mix, the hosts will be looking at what both the off-spinners have in store for the team.

The forthcoming ODI series will be of significant importance for Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav as well. While Iyer needs game time under his belt, Suryakumar will be seeking to prove his mettle in the 50-over format.

After all, the 33-year-old is one of the selected members for the World Cup and requires some crucial runs to boost his confidence.