Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed his support for KL Rahul, who is facing criticism due to a slump in form with the bat in Tests, ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gambhir highlighted Rahul’s value to the team, pointing to his ability to bat at any position, which makes him one of the few versatile players in world cricket.
KL Rahul is coming off disappointing performances, scoring 4 and 10 in his two innings for India A against Australia A in the second unofficial Test in Melbourne. In the previous month, he registered scores of 0 and 12 in the first Test of the series against New Zealand.
Gautam Gambhir shared his thoughts during a press conference (via The Times of India):
“KL Rahul can bat in the top order, he can bat at No. 3, he can play at No. 6. So, you need a lot of talent to do all these jobs, and he keeps (wickets) in ODIs. Imagine how many countries have players like KL!”
In 2024, KL Rahul has scored 234 runs in five Tests, including two half-centuries. Across his career, he has accumulated 187 runs in five Tests (nine innings) at an average of 20.78, with one century to his name. Overall, he has 68 runs in 11 Tests (19 innings) against Australia.
Rahul is nearing the milestone of 3,000 Test runs, with 2,981 runs from 53 Tests (91 innings) so far.
“He Is One Of The Options” –Gautam Gambhir Says KL Rahul Could Open In Perth Test With Rohit Sharma Out
Gautam Gambhir mentioned that KL Rahul could open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first Test in Perth if regular captain Rohit Sharma is unavailable.
“He is one of the options (to open batting) if Rohit is not available (for the first Test),” he said in the press conference.
Rahul has scored 2,551 runs in 75 innings as an opener in Tests, including seven centuries and 12 half-centuries. Besides KL Rahul, Shubman Gill could also open with Jaiswal. The Punjab batter has 874 runs in 29 Test innings, featuring two centuries and four half-centuries as an opener.
Abhimanyu Easwaran, who recently scored four consecutive tons in first-class cricket, has struggled in recent outings, with scores of 7, 12, 0, and 17 for India A against Australia A. As a result, he is unlikely to be selected over Rahul and Gill.
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