New Delhi: Former India opener and Punjab Kings batting coach Wasim Jaffer believes KL Rahul performs best without the added responsibility of captaincy, arguing that the star batter excels when permitted to focus exclusively on his batting.

Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Jaffer shared his perspective on Rahul's career trajectory and leadership roles. Comparing Rahul's run-scoring consistency with his suitability for captaincy, Jaffer suggested that unburdening the batter from captaincy duties enables his natural game to thrive.

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"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 during the broadcast.

Jaffer noted that the captaincy introduces extra strain on Rahul due to his temperament. "So I just feel that with the kind of personality he has, captaincy just puts a bit of added pressure on him," he added.

With India preparing to take on Sri Lanka in an upcoming two-test series in Galle and Colombo, Rahul's role solely as a core senior batter remains vital to the team's setup.

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In a three-day warm-up match against SLC XI that concluded on Sunday, Rahul opened the batting in the first innings, scoring 40 runs from 67 deliveries, before opting not to bat in the second innings.

India completed a six-wicket victory over the Sri Lanka XI, yielding several encouraging signs ahead of the two-test World Test Championship series. Shubman Gill allayed fitness concerns with a smooth 44, Devdutt Padikkal bolstered his credentials for the No. 3 position with a 142-run innings, and Ravindra Jadeja delivered a strong all-round display with both bat and ball.

ANI