Indiau2019s KL Rahul en route his 88' at Hamilton on Wednesday. PIC/ AFP Vimal Kumar sports@ mid- day. com AUCKLAND: It now looks a bit strange that the man in form in white- ball cricket will be coming back to India next week while youngsters like Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill will be part of the Test squad for the two- match series. Of course, you canu2019t blame selectors for ignoring KL Rahul for Test matches as he failed to go past 50 in the last 12 innings since his 149 at the Oval in England in 2018. However, it can be argued that now especially after Rohit Sharmau2019s forced departure because of injury, Rahul should have stayed in NZ for the remainder of the series.
u201c You want to capitalise on form like this. You have seen it in the past too, that players have been drafted in a particular squad based on their form. Why not KL Rahul? After this innings, even the team management, the selectors must be thinking, u2018 okay, maybe we have been harsh on him. Maybe, we should have just given him the opportunity in Rohit Sharmau2019s absence,u201d said former India pacer Zaheer Khan on Cricbuzz.
Apart from Kohli and Rohit, it is Rahul among the contemporary Indian batsmen who looks comfortable across all formats. In fact, of late, he has been moving up and down in the order depending on the teamu2019s requirements besides taking the added responsibility of wicketkeeping.
u201c Itu2019s amazing, he is open to accepting any role the team needs him to,u201d said Kohli just before the T20I series begun.
u201c He is a total team man. You can tell from the way he u2018 keeps as well, he is always looking for an opportunity and always looking to make a play. He is not nervous about it.u201d Rahul may be a touch disappointed that he wonu2019t be carrying on his rich form in red- ball cricket. But, over the last few months, he has proved that temporary setbacks have only made him a more determined and better player.
KL Rahul will return home with a heavy heart 224 No. of runs scored by KL Rahul in the recently- concluded five- match T20I series in New Zealand at an average of 56.00
