"He probably has more ability than Rohit Sharma" - When Gautam Gambhir made a huge statement on Indian batter
Team India's current head coach Gautam Gambhir is known as someone who doesn't think twice before speaking his mind out even if his opinion may be an unpopular one. He was in the news ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when he slammed Ricky Ponting for some comments made on Virat Kohli.
During the Asia Cup in 2022, which was played in the T20 format, the former India batter backed a struggling KL Rahul and even went to the extent of terming him as someone who has more ability than Rohit Sharma. Speaking to Star Sports after Rahul made a labored 36 off 39 balls in a 2022 Asia Cup match against Hong Kong, Gambhir opined:
"KL Rahul has so much ability. I will not hesitate to say that in this dressing room, he probably has more ability than Rohit Sharma and he has shown that by doing it in international cricket. Only he can stop himself if he doesn't play freely.
"He doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. You have seen in international cricket and the IPL, you are only holding yourself back, just go play. T20 cricket was created so that you can express yourself," the 43-year-old added in the support of the Karnataka batter.
Before his knock against Hong Kong, Rahul was dismissed for a duck in the match against Pakistan in Dubai. He registered scores of 28, 6 and 62 in India's remaining matches in the 2022 Asia Cup.
The right-handed batter was dropped from the T20I team after India's semifinal exit in the 2022 World Cup. He contributed 128 runs in six innings in the ICC event, averaging 21.33 at a poor strike rate of 120.75, with two half-centuries to his credit.
KL Rahul has been an enigma in Indian cricket
While Gambhir's comparison of Rahul with Rohit can be debated, what cannot be denied is the fact that the elegant Karnataka batter has been an enigma in Indian cricket. Despite possessing some great natural talent, the 32-year-old has failed to flourish consistently at the top level.
Rahul's stats in international cricket reflect that he has been an underachiever. In 55 Tests, he has scored 3,128 runs at an average of 34, with eight hundreds and 16 fifties. He has done well in ODIs, scoring 2,851 runs from 77 matches at an average of 49.15, with seven tons and 18 fifties. In T20Is, Rahul has 2,265 runs from 68 innings at a strike rate of 139.12.