KL Rahul’s return to Test cricket after nearly 7 months proved to be quite underwhelming as the Indian batter failed to play a big knock in either of the innings. An injury sidelined him during the Test series against England earlier this year, and Rahul made his red-ball comeback last month when he played in the first round of the Duleep Trophy.
However, a report from has now suggested that the Indian team management remains unimpressed with his performances in the longest format since his return. It seems like the issue with Rahul’s batting approach is coming back to haunt him.
Rahul had a decent Duleep Trophy outing, playing knocks of 37 and 57 in the first and second innings respectively. However, he also drew criticism for his indecision in crucial moments and his reluctance to play attacking strokes. This hesitancy to keep the scoreboard ticking also raised several eyebrows.
Rahul’s struggles continued in the Test against Bangladesh where in the first innings, he arrived to the crease at a time when India had just suffered a top-order collapse and he had to steady the Men in Blue’s ship alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, Rahul’s knock of 16 runs off 52 deliveries, wasn’t able to help India much. His lack of assertiveness and his inability to capitalise on the situation invited strong criticism from fans and experts alike.
Though Rahul later played an attacking cameo, scoring an unbeaten 22 runs off 19 deliveries as India needed to finish the second innings strong before declaration, his overall poor form remains to be a major concern for the team.
A BCCI official has now told The Telegraph there is a sense that Rahul looked to be in “kind of a shell”, especially in the first innings.
“That was not just in Chennai, but in this year’s Duleep Trophy too,” the BCCI official said.
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