Venkatesh Prasad has harshly criticized opening batsman KL Rahul for his lack of success in the longer format of the game. The former India player believes that the team management is too rigid in their support of Rahul over Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan.
Rahul's departure for a mere 17 runs in the second Test against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, February 18, came as a shock to many. The match had been highly anticipated, and the low score was a disappointment to fans and players alike.
Taking to Twitter, Prasad wrote: “And the torrid run continues. More to do with the rigidity of the management to persist with a player who just hasn’t looked the part. No top order batsman in at least the last 20 years of Indian cricket has played these many tests with such a low average.”
“His inclusion is deliberately denying talented guys, in form guys an opportunity to be in the 11. Shikhar had a test avg of 40+, Mayank has 41+ with 2 double hundreds, Shubhman Gill is in sublime form, Sarfaraz's never ending wait.. Many domestic performances are constantly ignored,” he continued.
Rahul was clearly floundering in the initial hour of the day and Australia contested the on-field umpires' call twice. Despite their unsuccessful reviews, it generated tension for the batsman and he was eventually dismissed in front of the stumps. The vice-captain decided to take a chance and challenge the on-field umpires' decision, but to no avail, resulting in India losing their review.
Rahul has amassed scores of 50, 8, 12, 10, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, and 17 in Test matches since 2022, and the pressure is mounting for him to produce runs. He has one more innings to prove himself, or else he could face the axe as in-form Shubman Gill is waiting in the wings.
READ| ICC Women's T20 World Cup, IND-W vs ENG-W: Predicted playing XI, live streaming, weather and pitch report
