KL Rahul, returning after a long lay-off due to an injury, has failed to leave his mark with the bat in all three ODIs he played against Zimbabwe. After not getting an opportunity to bat in the first ODI, Rahul promoted himself as an opener, but that didn’t change his fortune.
He got out in five balls in the second ODI and failed to leave his mark again in the final ODI of the series. On Monday afternoon at Harare Sports Club, Rahul looked very rusty, and played 46 balls for his 30 before throwing away his wicket to Brad Evans. His innings comprised of only a four and a six, and he also struggled to sneak out singles and doubles at regular intervals.
Naturally, the fans were disappointed with the batter. Many felt Shubman Gill should have been allowed to open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan, as he is the perfect replacement for Shikhar Dhawan in the near future.
With the ODI World Cup coming next year, the Indian side desperately needs a backup opener, and Gill is viewed as someone who can nail the spot. Moreover, Gill also notched his maiden century for India, playing a sublime knock of 130 that propelled India to a competitive total.
One wrote, “KL Rahul and Babar Azam are kind of players who can make their team lose to Uganda if that ensures them 50+ average.”
Some people pointed out Rahul is more suited to middle-order, and he needs to stick to his position.
Many noted Rahul is not in rhythm, and he should not be opening with the skipper Rohit Sharma in the Asia Cup, which starts in a week’s time in the UAE.
KL Rahul’s form paints worrying signs for Team India, who are already seeing him not only as one of the crucial members of the side but also as a future captain across formats.
“I feel it is up to the selectors to first figure out whether they want to have one player as an all-format captain and if that is the case then you are left with multiple options. Number one is KL Rahul because he plays all three formats. Number 2, hot on his heels is Rishabh Pant who has been exceptional in the past couple of seasons,” opined Saba Karim, the former Indian selector, to Sports 18.
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