Hard to accept: KL Rahul on missing out captaincy

New Delhi: Reacting on missing out an opportunity to lead India on home soil due to injury, KL Rahul said it is "hard to accept". He also expressed his good wishes for Rishabh Pant, who will captain the side for the first time.

Rahul was ruled out of the five-match home T20I series against South Africa owing to a right groin injury. The All-India Senior Selection Committee named wicket-keeper Pant as captain and Hardik Pandya as vice-captain for the home series against South Africa.

"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," KL tweeted on Wednesday.

Besides Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav will also miss out the T20I series after sustaining injury while batting in the nets.

The selection committee has not named a replacement for KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav. Both the cricketers will report to the NCA where the medical team will assess them further and decide on the future course of treatment.

India is set to chase 13-0 T20I winning record to become an all-time great team in the shortest format, leading to the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022. (UNI)