"He will always be in the shadows of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli" - Aakash Chopra on KL Rahul's India future
Aakash Chopra believes KL Rahul is unlucky as he will always remain in the shadows of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator reckons the Karnataka batter will continue representing India as long as he is among the runs.
India will face Bangladesh in a two-match Test series, with the first game starting in Chennai on September 19. Rahul, who has been picked in the 16-member Indian squad for the first Test, will likely compete with Sarfaraz Khan for a middle-order berth.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked about his thoughts on Rahul's India future.
"I personally like KL Rahul as a player. He will have to score runs. If he keeps scoring runs, he will keep moving forward. His fate is that he will always be in the shadows of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. These are the big guys. I feel Rahul is super talented, super skilled," he responded (23:35).
The former India opener feels Rahul has been unfairly criticized at times.
"Future - he will keep playing until he keeps scoring runs. Although the team rates him very highly, an atmosphere gets created against him very quickly in Indian cricket. There are plenty of people who go after him," Chopra observed.
Chopra added that the stylish batter is unlikely to get as many chances as he deserves.
"So he won't get as long a rope as you would give to anyone else with the same caliber or pedigree. If it's up to me, I would definitely give it because he has scored a lot of runs and difficult runs," he stated.
Rahul, who has played 199 international games across formats, is in India's scheme of things in Tests and ODIs. However, he seems to have fallen out of favor in T20Is, with the selectors and team management preferring more attacking batting options.
"Only himself to blame" - Aakash Chopra on Prithvi Shaw's absence from India's Test side
In the same video, Aakash Chopra was further asked about Prithvi Shaw's absence from India's Test side.
"Only himself to blame. Reputation makes a difference, what people around you think about you. The performances were slightly inconsistent. You felt for him because he is an extremely talented boy," he replied (29:55).
The reputed commentator doesn't see the Mumbai opener playing for India soon, highlighting that the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad are still waiting in the wings.
"He is destroying in England as well. I saw a lot of his matches. However, it will take time because we have already spoken about Ruturaj's number not coming, so how will it come for Prithvi?" Chopra noted.
Shaw has aggregated 339 runs at a decent average of 42.37 in five Tests. He smashed 237 runs at an average of 118.50 in his first three innings but managed only 102 runs at an average of 17.00 in his last six knocks.