Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, has been pushed by former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif to follow in Virat Kohli’s footsteps. Kaif has highlighted how the Royal Challengers Bengaluru star changed his style against spin to silence detractors.
When asked about his strike rate against spin, Kohli replied by using a wider variety of strokes and taking a more aggressive stance, as Kaif noted. If Rahane wants to continue being effective in the rapidly evolving demands of Twenty20 cricket, he needs to go through a similar metamorphosis, according to Kaif.
“Virat Kohli was in a similar situation. His strike rate was going down against spinners. He shut everyone’s mouth by attacking the spinners and inventing new shots. Rahane just has the slog sweep against spinners. He needs to work on his power-hitting down the ground. He has to increase his range of shots against spinners, as Virat Kohli has done. Virat Kohli has set a great example for everyone, and Rahane can also learn from it,” Kaif said.
Rahane, the previous season’s captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, shown flashes of promise but was unable to turn starts into game-winning performances. Kaif emphasized that the experienced batter’s incapacity to score more than 30s and 40s is still a worry, especially when facing attacks that rely heavily on spin.
“Rahane got the team off to good starts last season. If you look at the entire campaign, he scored around 30-40 in almost every match, but he did not have a single Man of the Match award. So, that question mark is still there with Rahane. 30s and 40s are fine, but he gets out as soon as the spinners come in,” he added.
Additionally, Kaif questioned Rahane’s selection as captain, stating that the choice seemed to have been made in the latter stages of the auction. He made a suggestion that KKR might have first considered a long-term leadership option before deciding to use Rahane’s background.
Kaif supported Rinku Singh as a possible future team leader. The left-handed hitter, who has consistently performed well for KKR throughout the years, received recognition for his capacity to perform well under pressure.
“It is time for KKR to groom Rinku Singh as their future captain. He is an all-format player. Although he doesn’t play Test cricket for India, he can contribute across formats. I belong to UP, and I know about his contribution to the state team. Many batters contribute with the bat, but his runs have come in winning causes. He is ready,” Kaif said.
The three-time IPL champions’ long-term leadership goals are highlighted by the appointment of explosive batsman Rinku Singh as their vice-captain for IPL 2026.
Despite KKR’s dismal IPL 2025 season, captain Rahane has been retained as captain, and Rinku as his deputy.
