KL Rahul seen practising at the SCG nets minutes after he got out
Indian opener KL Rahul is having a nightmare of a tour in Australia. After he was dropped for the third Test in Melbourne following his dismal show in the first two Tests in which he scored 2, 44, 2 and 0, the right-hander was called back into the Indian XI for the fourth and final Test match in Sydney.
This was the perfect opportunity for him to go out, do well register a big score and redeem himself. He had everything going his way as India won the toss and opted to bat on a wicket that hardly has anything for the bowlers.
Still, Rahul failed to reach the double digits as he was dismissed for just 9 off six balls in the second over of the day. Even the two boundaries he scored came off the outside edge and luck didn't last long as he tried to poke a Josh Hazlewood delivery outside the off stump and ended up offering Shaun Marsh an easy catch at first slip.
Just minutes after getting out on day 1, Rahul was seen facing throwdowns in order to tackle Mitchell Starc at the Sydney Cricket Ground nets.
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This is not the first time Rahul is doing this in this ongoing India tour of Australia. Minutes after the win in the first Test at Adelaide Oval, he walked to the nets straightaway and was seen training hard to get his rhythm back.
It is very evident that something is wrong with the right-hander but it has nothing to do with the way he is training. He has to take a break from the game and sort out his mental space before he makes a comeback.
Ideally, he could have been asked to return home, take some time off and play some domestic cricket to get his confidence back but the team management decided to have him with them Down Under.
It is just a matter of one big innings that will help him get his mojo back and the team management will hope that that innings arrives sooner than later.