Sanjay Manjrekar has opined that the support staff should work on KL Rahul in order to regain his form, when he is away from playing XI. Severe indication is that Rahul may end up sitting out the second Test against New Zealand in Pune, which begins on Thursday, as Shubman Gill is likely to come back following a stiff neck that made him miss the first Test. Gill’s absence saw Sarfaraz Khan capitalize and make 150 crucial runs in the second innings, which was his first Test century as India went about chasing a massive lead of 356 runs to force New Zealand to bat again.
‘I Feel Sorry For KL Rahul’: Says Manjrekar
“Yes (Rahul will have to make way). Shubman Gill is the in-form No. 3. I feel sorry for KL Rahul because he has been quite an enigma scoring 8-9 (8) centuries but he averages 35 (33.87) in 50 (53) odd tests. He has two centuries in South Africa, and the last one he got was the only one from an Indian, so a guy who can do that somehow hasn’t been able to sustain quality performances. He’s got so much class and ability… Let’s hope somebody works on him when he’s away from playing XI,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
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KL Rahul’s Inconsistency A Concerning Issue
Manjrekar could not help but feel sympathy for Rahul but felt this inconsistency is weird, especially given the backdrop of centuries under tricky overseas conditions against quality fast bowlers. Since moving to the middle order, Rahul’s scores in the first Test against New Zealand were 0, and 12. This poor show has raised a lot of questions about his playing in the second Test against New Zealand. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are fit and are likely to play, with Sarfaraz Khan’s brilliant form its is even more difficult for KL Rahul to keep his spot intact.
Gautam Gambhir Backs Rahul- But, Will He Get A Chance?
Recently, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of team India came to the defence of struggling batter KL Rahul, saying the team management opinions matter rather than social media criticism that he has been facing.
“I am sure he would be knowing that he has to score big runs and he has capability of scoring runs. That’s why he has been backed by the team…Ultimately, everyone is judged. International cricket is all about being judged,” said Gambhir
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While the management is facing a big dilemma on whom to pick in the playing XI, there are chances that Gautam Gambhir will give one more chance to KL Rahul.
