India vs Australia 2018: It is sink or swim for KL Rahul
Ah, the sublime yet destructive duality of International Cricket!
The highest level of cricket that tests you in every way possible- the aspects you think you know about and the aspects you can't even comprehend. Over the years, we have seen quite some talented players who announced their arrival at the grandest stage in style, delivered whilst enhancing their capabilities and doing justice to their talents.
Some were competent and lucky enough to secure a sure shot spot in the team for a longer period of time while some, who were undoubtedly good at what they do, failed to do so.
So, what's the reason behind this conundrum? Why yes, consistent performances of course. Just being talented and resting on past laurels can take any cricketer down the hill if skills are not justified with performances. There is already enough competition in a cricket-devoted nation like India where so many talented individuals are honing their craft and delivering well to earn a spot in the national team.
In a similar way, the dagger of being axed from the national squad might be on the cards for the explosive batsman KL Rahul, given his poor showings with the blade in the recent times and rising competition for his spot in the team as an opening batsman.
Lokesh Rahul is undoubtedly a fine, fine technician of the blade. We have seen him hammer some phenomenal knocks for India over the past couple of years when he wielded the willow and devastated the hopes of the opposition.
The fastest bastman to score centuries in all forms of the game (only 20 innings) has done a great job in all the formats. On his debut Test tour ( to Australia) back in 2014, he registered a terrific century at the SCG and announced his arrival in the best way possible.
So far, Rahul has played 31 Tests and featured with the bat in 51 innings in which he amassed 1848 runs at an average of 37.71. He has 5 centuries and 11 fifties in his Test cricket career and his highest score is 199 (vs England).
2018 has been an underwhelming year for KL Rahul's international career. While he did great in the IPL 2018, he failed to replicate his form in International cricket. He started off with a bang by scoring a century in the 1st T20 game against England but hiccups began from then. In the final Test match, he managed to score a century but his struggles continued during the Windies tour of India and the recently concluded T20 series against Australia.
He produced an array of failed showings as a batsman in the rest of the India's tour of England. He was widely criticised and accused of being impatient at the crease and not focusing at his game. His social media handles were hunted down by Indian supporters who bashed him and some even suggested him to quit cricket since he was not 'focusing enough' at cricket.
Rahul's performances in England:
Rahul's role as an opener was also very criticised because he failed to fulfil his responsibilities i.e. provide the team with a strong foundation. Youngsters like Hanuma Vihari and Prithvi Shaw were included in the squad. Hanuma played 1 game while Prithvi got a chance against Windies where he placed Shikhar Dhawan.
Following this tour, India featured in Asia Cup wherein 6 ODI games, Rahul wasn't included in 5. He played only 1 match and made a gutsy 60 but his on-field decision-making abilities and patience were questioned.
Then came the Windies team to lock horns with Team India. Rahul's struggles in Test and T20I continued and he even lost his spot in the ODI team. His performances vs Windies are as follows:
In the T20 series against Australia, Rahul stamped only 27 runs in 2 crucial games and faced flak from fans as well as experts like Sanjay Manjrekar.
There isn't a single batter in modern-day cricket who hasn't faced a rough patch in his/her career. It's just how the game goes, it tests the determination and resilience of a player. The situation for Rahul is critical because while he has given a few decent performances as well recently, there are many players in the domestic circuit who are breaking into the dressing room with mind-blowing performances consistently.
Explosive batsmen like Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal have defined the term consistency with their knocks in the season. Young Prithvi made his Test debut against Windies and scored 134, 70 and 33* in 3 innings.
On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal is breaking the glass ceiling with his ferocious batting in domestic circuit. He was named in the squad against Windies but didn't get a chance to play. The negligence of selectors towards Mayank was a heated debate among the cricket fans.
In February 2018, he was the leading run-scorer in the 2017–18 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with 723 runs in eight matches. He scored 2,141 runs across all formats, the highest total by any batsman in an Indian domestic season. He was the leading run-scorer for Karnataka in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with 251 runs in seven matches.
With his inconsistency and the heated competition for his spot in the team, a temporary axing situation from the team might come into picture for KL Rahul if his below-par outings continue against Australia.
He has a terrific technique, sound game-understanding and sublime strokes in his arsenal which are must to excel in harsh Australian conditions that test the mettle of a batsman. Rahul must rise to the occasion if he wants to mark his stint a long-term one in International circuit or those days aren't far away when the promising likes of Prithvi, Mayank or someone else might take over.