IND vs SA 2022: "Whenever you talk about KL Rahul's strike rate, the context is very important"- Ashish Nehra after India's win in second T20I
Ashish Nehra was impressed with the way Team India's openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul laid the foundation for a mammoth total in the second T20I against South Africa on Sunday (October 2). He pointed out how Rohit was content to play second-fiddle to Rahul, who looked in ominous touch.
Nehra believes that the opening duo, along with Virat Kohli, are good enough to adapt their game according to the situation. He added that they don't always need to go with the 'ultra-attacking' approach and lose a cluster of wickets.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the game, Ashish Nehra also spoke about how often people criticize Rahul's strike rate, without really understanding the situation. He said:
"KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not sloggers. They can even score runs with proper cricketing shots. So I always feel that although you have committed to a brand of ultra-attacking cricket, the top three still need to lay the foundation.
"Whenever you talk about KL Rahul's strike rate, the context is very important. How the team has fared and how the conditions were are some things that need to be seen before judging him."
Great performance and fantastic atmosphere. 🇮🇳 https://t.co/81Vr1htTzJ
People will always have something or the other to say: RP Singh on KL Rahul's critics
Former pacer RP Singh also weighed in on how unfairly KL Rahul is treated at times by the fans in regards to his strike rate. Singh thinks that rather than focusing on the strike rate, the real debate should be on how he has improved ever since coming back from an injury.
KL Rahul was named the “Player of the Match” for his quick knock against South Africa 🏏💯
#Indiancricketteam #teamindia #INdvSA #cricketindia https://t.co/x623W3IGcX
Here is what RP Singh said:
"Rahul wasn't in great form after his comeback from injury and also had a poor Asia Cup. People will still say on social media that we are bilateral kings anyway and the performances in multi-national tournaments matter. So people will always have something or the other to say. How Rahul's progression is since his comeback is what matters."
Rahul has good memories of playing in Indore and will back himself to get another big score in the final T20I on Tuesday (October 4).