KL Rahul’s place in the starting Eleven has come under scrutiny following his underwhelming performances in the first and second Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The opener was fired from his position as vice-captain of the Indian red-ball squad because the selection committee, which includes him, is unsure of his function.
Moreover, Venkatesh Prasad, a former India international, has been outspoken about his lackluster statistics and feels that he shouldn’t be given so many opportunities despite bad play. Gautam Gambhir, a former India opener, believes that KL Rahul should be supported because every cricketer experiences a difficult time at some point in their career. He made it quite apparent that the 30-year-old shouldn’t be let go from the national team since he has a lot of promise, and one should always support good cricketers.
“KL Rahul should not be dropped from the Indian side. One should not single out any player. Everyone goes through a lean patch. No one, no cricket pundit or anyone should tell him that he is not doing well and be dropped,” Gambhir said as quoted by The Times of India.
“You have to back players who have talent. Look at Rohit Sharma. He also had a lean patch. Look at the way he started his career. He had a late flourish. Compared (earlier times) to how he is performing now. Everyone could see his talent and backed him. Now see the result. He is going great guns. Rahul can do the same,” the 41-year-old added.
The southpaw said that since India is currently in control, there is no need to fire anyone and that everyone should instead commend the group’s efforts. Rahul was also praised by him for being a brilliant player and for scoring runs in international cricket. “India is 2-0 up and not 0-2 down. So let’s not axe anyone and appreciate the team’s performance. I think the Indian team management is right in backing KL Rahul. He is a great player. He had scored runs in international cricket,” the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants added.
