The Indian team on Sunday registered another commanding win over the Australians in the Indian capital claiming the Border Gavaskar series for the 4th consecutive time. However, despite the six-wicket victory, the selection of KL Rahul for the remaining tests remains the fans, pundits, and seasoned players main concern.
KL Rahul has been on the end of continuous criticism for his poor string of runs. And now that the opener has retained for the last two tests of the series, things have worsened for the 30-year-old.
“I believe he has the quality and class”- Rahul Dravid
While the outside world continues to question his place in the XI, the management seems to have a different response. Addressing the media post-match, India’s head Rahul Dravid layed a piece of advice for the opener while mentioning their plans for continuing with him.
“I think he needs to trust his processes. This is just a phase, he has been one of our most successful overseas openers. He’s got hundreds in South Africa and England, we’ll continue to back him. I believe he has the quality and class to come out of this. “ said Rahul Dravid.
“It is great working with this unit, managing formats is the most difficult part. But there’s not a lot of technical coaching, just simple conversations and challenging them, and giving them a pat on the back when they do well.” he added.
‘It is not just about KL Rahul’
KL Rahul who was dismissed for 1 off 3 in the 2nd innings made a total of 18 runs in the match. He has been going through batting slump since the SENA tour in 2022, and with an in-form Shubman Gill waiting in the wings, the lengthy run of underwhelming performances puts more pressure on Rahul.
The 30-year-old has come under scrutiny during the second ICC World Test Championship cycle 2021-23, with 117 runs in his last five Test matches while only averaging 13. In his last 10 Test innings, the batter has failed to surpass the score of 23. Yet, despite Rahul’s recent Test batting dip, Indian captain Rohit and management has taken a call to continue with him.
“It is not just about KL but anyone. It was clear from our side that we want him to go out and play his game. We are not going to look too much into what one individual is doing, it is about how everyone needs to come together,” said Rohit.
India will now meet Australia on March 1 at the Holkar Stadium, Indore to seal the series.