KL Rahul will have to show drastically improved leadership acumen when he leads India against a buoyant South African side in the second ODI on Friday, with the three-match series and his long-term Test captaincy ambitions both at stake.

Rahul was at best mediocre in terms of “on-your-feet-thinking”, something that’s basic to art of captaincy, and also didn’t look the part with the bat in a deflating 31-run defeat in the opening ODI where India were outplayed for the better part of the game.