Why India must back KL Rahul despite recent struggles
Although he is still India's highest-ranked T20I batsman at #4 with 771 rating points, KL Rahul is the middle of a poor run of form. He has scored only 1 run in his last four T20Is, and needless to say, he has failed in each of the three matches of the ongoing series against England.
The 2021 T20 World Cup at home is on the horizon, and India's preparations for the tournament have revolved around the theme of "experimentation". Two matches are left in this series, and India have a number of options to open the batting with instead of KL Rahul.
Shikhar Dhawan is another player who's been in dreadful form for the national team, but his record in ICC tournaments is stellar. He also possesses a great understanding with Rohit Sharma, who is one of the first names on the teamsheet for India.
Ishan Kishan, who replaced Dhawan in the Indian playing XI for the 2nd T20I, is another option. The young left-hander scored a fearless fifty on his international debut, and is capable to taking the attack to the opposition straightaway.
Captain Virat Kohli has an excellent record as an opener in T20 cricket, and India have the requisite middle-order might to allow him to stride out alongside his deputy. This middle order features match-winners like Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav.
However, despite so many options at India's disposal, KL Rahul is an indispensible member of the playing XI in T20I cricket. Here's why Kohli and the team management must persist with Rahul, even if he doesn't get to open the innings.
KL Rahul is a vital component of India's limited-overs setup
KL Rahul has found himself consigned to the bench in Test cricket, but he remains a vital component of India's limited-overs setups. In the absence of Rohit Sharma during the white-ball leg of the preceding Australia tour, the 28-year-old was even appointed the vice-captain.
In T20Is in particular, Rahul has been exceptional. Barring his last 4 innings, his scores in the format read - 30, 51, 45, 39, 27, 57*, 56, 54, 45, 91, 11, 62 and 52. And most of these innings have come as an opener, in place of either Rohit Sharma or Shikhar Dhawan.
The main argument behind KL Rahul's non-inclusion as an opener is that his game is too similar to that of Rohit. Both batsmen are right-handers, and take their time in the middle before going big. This means that India have often struggled to make the most of the powerplay, especially after their recent ultra-aggressive approach kicked in.
But both KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are more than capable of making up for some initial dot balls. In fact, it can even be argued that this attacking mindset should've been tried out earlier, instead of during the last few matches before an ICC tournament.
Even if there's no room for KL Rahul as an opener, he can't be dropped altogether. A move down to either No. 3 or No. 4, depending on the batting position of Kohli, or even the No. 5 role at which he batted in the Australia ODIs, are options.
Rahul has more experience than the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, and is arguably a more complete player as well. As a result, he should be trusted to succeed in the middle-order role, even if it isn't something he'll take up for the Punjab Kings in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
The Indian team management has been vocal about their support for KL Rahul
Three failures in row for KL Rahul saw some questions being targeted at captain Virat Kohli and batting coach Vikram Rathour.
Kohli branded KL Rahul a "champion player", and claimed that he will continue to bat in the top order alongside Rohit. Speaking at the post-match presentation after the 3rd T20I, the Indian skipper said:
“I was going through a lean patch two days back. He (KL Rahul) is a champion player, and he will continue to be one of our main batters along with Rohit Sharma. Before this (lean patch), if you see the numbers, he has been one of the best T20I batters in the world. T20 is an instinctive game, and it’s just a matter of five or six balls, and once a few shots come off…”
Rathour echoed similar sentiments, pointing out that KL Rahul has been India's best T20I batsman over the last year or so:
“Anybody can have a lean phase. In the last one year, KL (Rahul) has been our best batsman in the T20 format. He’s averaging 40-plus with a strike rate of 145. Three failures do not change the fact that he is, maybe, the best batsman we have in his format. He has done really well for us in the past year.”
KL Rahul clearly has the faith of the team management, and understandably so. When he's dismissed, it's probably because of a loose drive or a feeble poke. He is also one of those unpredictable players who score 50 off 20 one day and 0 off 6 the next.
But at the end of the day, KL Rahul is one of the biggest talents in the country and thefuture of Indian cricket. He must be backed, especially in a format he has had so much success in in the recent past.