NEW DELHI: KL Rahul could manage only 17 and 1 in the Delhi Test even as India registered an emphatic win over visiting Australia to take a 2-0 lead in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Sunday.
His dry run for more than a year, especially in the longest format of the game, has been attracting a lot of criticism from experts and former players alike. For the record, Rahul last scored a half-century when he made 50 against South Africa in Johannesburg while captaining the side in the second Test. His last of the seven Test centuries also came during the tour in December 2021 in Centurion.
However, despite the growing calls against the Karnataka player, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday decided to retain him for the remaining two Tests and three-ODI series against Australia. The two Tests will begin in Indore and Ahmedabad on March 1 and 9, respectively, while the first 50-over match will be held in Mumbai on March 17.
The announcement of the squads came a couple of hours after skipper Rohit Sharma hinted that Rahul would be given an extended run in the team. "Of late, there has been a lot of talk about his batting. For us, as team management, we always look at the potential of any individual, not just KL. I was asked in the past about a lot of players. If a guy has potential, he will get an extended run. Not just KL. If you look at the couple of hundreds he got, especially at Lord's, batting on that damp pitch. Centurion was another win. Both came in India winning both games. That's the potential he has," said Rohit after the match.
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who incidentally hails from Karnataka, has been questioning Rahul's place in the team for quite some time now. He also cited Rahul's below-par batting average of 33.44 despite playing 47 Test matches to support his claim.
But the India skipper, who is going to miss the first ODI in his hometown due to family commitment, clearly said that the 30-year-old batter will be given a longer rope. "Obviously, of late, there have been a lot of talks. But, from our side, it was clear that we want him to go out and play his game and do what he can do the best that we have seen him do over the years."
Rohit, however, said Rahul has to find his own method of scoring runs. "Of course, when you are playing on pitches like these, you need to find your method of scoring runs. As I said, different individuals are part of these teams and they will have different methods of scoring runs. Find your own methods of doing this. We are not going to look into what one individual is doing, but rather what the entire team is doing. This is an important series for us, a big one, and that's my thought on KL," added Rohit, who opens the batting in Test along with Rahul.