"KL Rahul might find it difficult to make it in the scheme of things" - Gautam Gambhir
Former India batter Gautam Gambhir believes that KL Rahul will have a hard time trying to stake a claim in the playing XI moving forward. The Karnataka-born batter faces stiff competition from his compatriots in white-ball cricket irrespective of his batting position.
The emergence of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan has almost ruled out a return to the top of the order in ODI cricket for Rahul.
He featured in the middle order and kept wickets in the absence of Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav in the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.
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With Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer arguably sealing their spots, the competition stiffens among the remaining candidates for the batting positions after them.
Opining that Kishan's recent rise has made the road trickier for Rahul, Gambhir told Star Sports:
"Probably, KL Rahul might find it difficult to make it in the scheme of things, with the kind of form Ishan Kishan is in."
Kishan recently made a statement by slamming a record double-century during the ODI series in Bangladesh. With Shikhar Dhawan seemingly out of the picture, he emerges as the primary left-handed batting option at the top of the order.
"If you want to continue with KL Rahul, you will have to make him bat at the top" - Gautam Gambhir
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have been a prolific opening pair for Team India over the years. However, the pair's conservative batting, particularly at the T20 World Cup 2022, was heavily criticized.
Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant opened the batting in the subsequent T20I series against New Zealand and another new pair could be in the offing for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka.
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Noting that Rahul and Virat Kohli would have to feature in the top three if they are part of the playing XI, Gambhir said:
"It is a Catch-22 situation, whether you want to go with these youngsters and build a completely new T20 situation, which won't be a bad option anyways. If you want to continue with KL Rahul, you will have to make him bat at the top of the order and Kohli at No.3."
Gambhir continued:
"More importantly, if this young side, that the selectors have picked starts doing really well, it is going to be unfortunate for all these youngsters to miss out on that big event."
Rohit and Rahul have not been named in the T20I squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, beginning on January 3.
The skipper is yet to completely recover from the injury he sustained during the second ODI against Bangladesh. Rahul, on the other hand, has been removed from his role as vice-captain and is unlikely to be considered for any leadership positions in the future as well.
Will KL Rahul feature in the playing XI in Team India's white-ball endeavors going forward? Let us know what you think.
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