KL Rahul has been under immense scrutiny for his recent performances in Test cricket, and the calls to drop him and include the young and in-form Shubman Gill has only been growing.
Now, Rohit Sharma, speaking at the pre-match press conference, stated that KL Rahul's removal from vice-captaincy doesn't indicate anything about his exclusion or inclusion in the playing 11. He further stated that Rahul was given vice-captaincy because at that time there weren't many experienced players in the team.
Recently, Ravi Shastri, on ICC Podcast Review, said that since KL is no longer the vice captain, it is up to the management to play or not. "If the vice-captain isn't performing, someone can take his place. Now that Rahul is not the vice-captain, it has to be team management's decision whether to play him or not. They will have to see his form, his state of mind. He's a tremendous player, but there's so much talent in India who is knocking on the door."
While many have criticised Rahul, his mentor at Lucknow Super Giants, Gautam Gambhir thinks that Rahul should be backed as he is a talented player. "KL Rahul should not be dropped from the Indian side. One should not single out any player. Everyone goes through a lean patch. No one, no cricket pundit or anyone should tell him that he is not doing well and be dropped," Gambhir told PTI.
Test Numbers Since 2020
- Innings: 21
- Runs: 636
- Average: 30.28
- Strike Rate: 41
- 50s: 2
- 100s: 2
These are some worrying numbers, in 21 innings played for India, Rahul has averaged just 30 with two 100s and two 50s against his name. The strike rate isn't much of an issue in the longest format of the game, but it is 10 points lower than his career figure.
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The writing is on the wall. Rahul has got to come back at his best sooner rather than later. The time might just be running out for him.
