By Avinash Kr Atish New Delhi, Aug 23 : Star batter K.L Rahul who was leading India in the recently concluded ODI series in Zimbabwe but did not meet the expectations and has raised doubts about his role as a guaranteed opener for India in the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.
The last few months have been extremely difficult for Rahul who was out of action due to a hernia in his sports and Covid-19.In the aftermath of IPL 2022 in which he was the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs and was scheduled to be captain of India in the T20Is at home against South Africa but missed out due to a groin injury.
The time off was prolonged after it was announced that he required surgery.The right-hander was unable to participate in the trip of England as well as Ireland.
In the following days, the opener was due to resume the tour of the West Indies and the USA but after an encouraging Covid-19 result he was told to take a break.
Finally eventually, the BCCI medical team approved him to participate in the ODI series of three matches in Zimbabwe, in order to give him some time before the eagerly-awaited 2022 Asia Cup, where he is scheduled to open the India innings with captain Rohit Sharma.
However, the team’s management may be a little concerned about the way he played in the Zimbabwe series, in which he was a bit uninspired and his batting did not inspire confidence to his fans.
The Bengaluru boy did not get the chance to bat in the first ODI.only scoring one run in the second game, and scored 30 in the third, missing the perfect opportunity to get back in the rhythm prior to the start of the Asia Cup T20.
There’s no doubt that Rahul has been one of the best openers in India in the past half a decade, however he has also come under harsh criticism from time to moment.One of the most common criticisms of the right-handed player is his slow strike rate particularly in situations where he can be capable of hitting shots throughout the park.
After the previous World Cup, India under Rohit Sharma have changed their approach to batting which has resulted in the willingness to take wickets in the front in the pursuit of sixes and fourswhich is in contrast to Rahul’s preferred method of bat.It is interesting to watch the LSG skipper’s approach to batting in the Asia Cup.
In the absence of Rahul, India have tried Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson as openers.They did well.On the other side the former India captain Virat Kohli too has played the position in the past.
Therefore, India have plenty of options for opening slots that puts pressure on the top batter.
As of the moment, it appears that the team’s management would prefer Rahul as their first choice opener, along with Rohit as they prepare to see India start their 2022 Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan on the 28th of August.
However, they will be on the lookout for his performance in UAE.
If the opener is not able to perform in the tough stage of Asia Cup; skipper Rohit and coach Dravid and the selection panel will be in a bind prior to the crucial World Cup.India would certainly like to decide on their best playing XI ahead of the huge event, therefore an alternative opening option with Rohit can be considered in the game at home against Australia and South Africa.
Overall, the clock is getting shorter for K.L Rahul, and a huge challenge is in store for him in the Asia Cup, only time will tell if he is able to seize the chance or squanders it as he did during his Zimbabwe tour.
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