KL Rahul on Virat Kohli’s 'poor' Test form: “Haven’t played too much for you to pass that statement”
Team India batter KL Rahul, who will be leading the team in Rohit Sharma’s absence in the first Test against Bangladesh, has dismissed concerns over Virat Kohli’s form in red-ball cricket. According to Rahul, India haven’t played enough Test matches in 2022 for anyone to make an observation on the star batter’s form.
Kohli has played four Tests in 2022, having scored 220 runs at an average of 31.42. He was dismissed for 11 and 20 in the rescheduled Test in Birmingham in July. However, has displayed good form in white-ball cricket in recent times, scoring a century each in both T20Is and ODIs.
At a press conference ahead of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, Rahul was asked whether Kohli’s poor red-ball form was a concern. The stand-in skipper countered:
“We haven’t really played too much Test cricket for you to pass that statement. He’s been in good form; he’s done really well for us in T20 cricket. Recently, he got that hundred against Bangladesh here. Obviously, he will take some confidence into the Test matches as well."
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Backing Kohli to deliver the goods in the Test matches, Rahul asserted:
“He’s been around for so long. He is such an experienced player; he knows what to do. His mindset and attitude has always remained the same. The passion he has for the game, the commitment he gives for the team, has been on show for everyone to see. He’s a great player. He has always found ways to get runs and I am sure he will do that again.”
Incidentally, Kohli’s last century in Test cricket came against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the day-night Test in November 2019.
“We hope he can come back for the second Test” - KL Rahul on Rohit Sharma’s absence
Rahul also admitted that India will miss the services of skipper Rohit, who is nursing an injured thumb. He added that the team is hopeful of the captain being fit for the second Test. The 30-year-old commented:
“Obviously, Rohit Sharma is a very important player for us. He’s very experienced and is the captain. When a captain gets injured, it’s something that the team will really miss. Fingers crossed, we hope he can come back for the second Test.”
The Two Captains - @klrahul & Shakib Al Hasan pose with the silverware ahead of the two-match Test series.
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Rohit missed the third ODI of the series against Bangladesh after hurting himself while fielding in the previous match. While he has been ruled out of the first Test, which begins on December 14, there is uncertainty over his availability for the second Test as well.