India‘s wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul was left out of the second Test against New Zealand at MCA Stadium in Pune on Thursday, October 24. He was replaced by Shubman Gill, who missed the previous match due to neck stiffness.
Rahul scored 0 and 12 in his two innings during the opening Test, contributing to India’s eight-wicket loss and leaving them trailing 0-1 in the three-match series.
In the second innings, while other Indian batters performed well after a disappointing 46 in the first, Sarfaraz Khan seized his chance with a score of 150, effectively taking Rahul’s spot in the lineup based on current form.
The 32-year-old has struggled to maintain consistency in Test matches, with scores of 16, 22*, and 68 in the recent two-match series against Bangladesh. Fans on X had mixed reactions to Rahul’s omission for the second Test against New Zealand. One user humorously commented:
“Happy Retirement KL Rahul.”
Another user wrote:
“KL RAHUL is always easy SCAPEGOAT.”
A third user added:
“Gutted to see KL Rahul left out of the 2nd Test. He’s such a class player and deserves more!”
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“He Has Received Support From The Team Management” – Gautam Gambhir’s Comments On KL Rahul Before The IND vs NZ 2nd Test
India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that KL Rahul has the support of the team management before the second Test against New Zealand. He mentioned this (via ESPNcricinfo):
“International cricket is all about being judged, to be honest, because everyone’s performance will be judged eventually. But I feel that he [Rahul] is batting really well. Obviously, he has had a decent knock in Kanpur [against Bangladesh] obviously, on a difficult wicket. And obviously, he played according to the plans as well.”
“And I am sure, I think, he would also be knowing that he wants to score big runs and he has that capability of scoring runs. That’s why he has been backed by the team management,” he added.
Rahul has a Test average of 33.87, with 2,981 runs in 53 matches, including eight centuries and 15 half-centuries. The middle-order batter has only one century in home Tests.
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