Asia Cup 2022: "If you give others a long rope, why can't we give KL Rahul a long rope?" - Sunil Gavaskar backs Team India vice-captain to find his rhythm
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has backed KL Rahul to return to form soon. The current Team India vice-captain has battled injuries and COVID-19 over the last few months, leading to very few appearances for the team in the shortest format.
Rahul returned to action during India's recent ODI series against Zimbabwe. Playing his first T20I of the year against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, he was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Naseem Shah.
In the recently concluded encounter against Hong Kong on Wednesday, he looked far from his best, scoring just 36 runs off 39 deliveries.
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Check out the updated list of most runs in Asia Cup 2022 on Sportskeeda.
Opining that KL Rahul deserves a long run in the side much like his compatriots, Sunil Gavaskar said during an interaction with India Today:
"I think KL Rahul is a class act. With the kind of performance he has had over the years for India... if you give others a long rope, why can't we give KL Rahul a long rope?
"He is your vice-captain as well. You give him a long rope because we have all seen what he is capable of in the T20 format."
"He is coming back from an injury, so the rhythm is not quite there" - Sunil Gavaskar on KL Rahul
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper suffered a hamstring injury earlier this year. Following the culmination of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, he traveled to Germany to treat a hernia injury.
To make matters worse, COVID-19 delayed his recovery and he was ruled out of the tour of England.
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Noting that Rahul will eventually find his rhythm, Gavaskar said:
"He is coming back from an injury, so that the rhythm is not quite there but the rhythm will come and when it comes, it will be devasting for the opposition."
The Karnataka-born player still has several matches to find his rhythm before the T20 World Cup. India are scheduled to host Australia and South Africa for a set of white-ball series following the culmination of the ongoing Asia Cup.
How long will it take for Rahul to find his form back? Let us know what you think.