"He is a world-class player, but should be given a break now" - Danish Kaneria on KL Rahul's place in the Indian team
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria believes that Team India should stop giving wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul any more chances, given that there are several others waiting for their turns.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria opined that the Indian team management is unwilling to drop Rahul as they want him to somehow get back to form. He suggested that instead of giving the struggling batter so many chances, the Men in Blue should consider backing the likes of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson.
"India have given KL Rahul a lot of chances," Kaneria explained. "Why not give as many opportunities to the likes of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson too? They want him to come back to form anyhow, which is why they are making him play consistently. He is a world-class player, but should be given a break now as he has not been able to perform."
Notably, Rahul kept wickets and batted at No.5 during India's ODI series opener against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, January 10. The right-handed batter was included in the playing XI ahead of Kishan, who scored 210 runs in his last ODI appearance against Bangladesh.
While Rahul got off to a decent start with the bat, he failed to convert it into a big knock. The right-handed batter scored 39 runs off 29 deliveries before getting out leg-before to Sri Lankan pacer Kasun Rajitha.
"Ishan Kishan should surely have been preferred over KL Rahul" - Danish Kaneria on India's playing XI
Danish Kaneria further stated that Rohit Sharma and Co. should have added Ishan Kishan to their playing XI for the first ODI against Sri Lanka.
He claimed that the Indian think tank's decision to persist with KL Rahul despite his underwhelming performances could prove costly. The former leg spinner remarked that such decisions should not be made on the road to the 2023 ODI World Cup at home.
"KL Rahul was asked to keep wickets and bat in the middle order," Kaneria added. "Ishan Kishan deserved to be in the team but had to sit out. Ishan Kishan should surely have been preferred over KL Rahul. They want to accommodate Rahul anyhow. This is not how you form a team, especially with the 50-over World Cup inching closer."
For his stupendous knock of 113 off 87 deliveries, @imVkohli is adjudged Player of the Match as #TeamIndia beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs.
Scorecard - bit.ly/INDvSL-2023-1S… #INDvSL
@mastercardindia https://t.co/ecI40guZuB
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Co. secured a comprehensive 67-run win over Sri Lanka to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. The second match will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, January 12.