Asia Cup 2022: "He has great numbers, but you just can't rely on them all the time" - Reetinder Sodhi on KL Rahul
Former Indian cricketer Reetinder Sodhi believes the pressure on vice-captain KL Rahul will only increase with each failure in the ongoing Asia Cup. The 30-year-old played an uncharacteristic knock of 36 (39) against Hong Kong and received a lot of stick on social media for his approach.
Sodhi feels such conservative batting doesn't align with Team India's goal of playing an attacking brand of cricket. Although KL Rahul is the vice-captain, the former cricketer stated that the current form should be given more importance.
Speaking to India News Sports, here's what Sodhi said about Rahul's recent struggles:
"I don't agree that Rahul needs to be given time, because where do you have time left? He has played five international games and his strike rate against Hong Kong is very worrying. He has great numbers, but you just can't rely on them all the time as you need an opener who will provide his team a flying start. So if Rahul gets another failure, the team management might need to look at other options."
"It is difficult to find momentum with not much gametime"- Rajkumar Sharma on KL Rahul
Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajumar Sharma, who was also present in the discussion, explained how difficult it is for any player to get his form back immediately after returning from an injury or a break.
Suryakumar Yadav replies to a question on KL Rahul's inclusion in the team. https://t.co/1pVdUvuh0e
Sharma feels the team management should remain patient with Rahul and the latter would surely repay their faith.
He stated:
"Rahul is coming back after a long injury lay-off and it is difficult to find momentum with not much gametime. He has given some big performances for India and having been appointed vice-captain shows how much the team management has faith in him."
Former Indian selector Saba Karim also agreed with what Rajkumar had to say and explained why KL Rahul's role is different for Team India compared to that for his IPL side. He added:
"Sometimes we get too ahead of ourselves. This was just Rahul's fourth knock after recovering from injury, that too in two separate formats. He has shown consistency in the IPL and knows that here he has a lot of big hitters after him. So gradually but surely, he will adapt to the template and we will get to see that intent."
Will Sunday's game be a real acid test for KL Rahul's spot? Let us know in the comments.