Are we expecting too much from KL Rahul?

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KL Rahul gets cleaned up off Broad's first ball

Getting bowled to an inswinging ball which kept relatively low off Broad's very first ball in the 4th innings of the ongoing Southampton Test makes a tally of 113 runs for KL Rahul in this series, averaging just around 14.

KL Rahul's last 13 innings outside the sub-continent:

28 10 4 0 16 4 13 8 10 23 36 19 0

KL Rahul who was asked to bat number 3 dropping off Pujara in the first Test of the ongoing tour was later pushed up to the opening slot. The same opening slot where he struggled during the South African tour earlier this year. Paired up with Murali Vijay for a Test and with Shikhar Dhawan for two Tests now, yet his highest score this series is 36.

Murali Vijay can't be kept out of Test eleven for long as he been an integral part of the Test side for a long time. His willowy artistry averages around 40. Cheteshwar Pujara has proved his mark coming back to the eleven after being dropped as well. The pressure for KL Rahul has even climbed up with the inclusion of Prithvi Shaw to the Test squad. Not to forget Rohit Sharma who could also be a potential replacement.

The 27-Test-old batsman has scored only 113 runs this series, which is only more than Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, and other Indian bowlers.

KL Rahul going through a lean patch at England

Two years back against the same team with almost the same bowling line-up minus Anderson and Broad, we saw Rahul's best Test innings to date, when he scored 199 at Chepauk.

Despite going through a bad phase, KL Rahul still averages around 38 overall in Tests. 'The next big thing' for India as quoted by the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, is probably just one knock away from regaining his Midas touch.

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