“Ridiculous is an understatement” – Former India cricketer questions KL Rahul’s absence from IND vs SL 3rd ODI
Former India cricketer Dodda Ganesh has slammed the Team India management for dropping KL Rahul from the playing XI for the ODI series decider against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, August 7. Rishabh Pant replaced Rahul in India’s playing XI.
Rahul returned with scores of 31 (43) and a two-ball duck, respectively, in his two outings of the series. The Men in Blue tied the opening game before losing the second fixture by 32 runs.
Ganesh asked how Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag can play ahead of experienced Rahul, who has led India in ODIs before the Sri Lanka series. He wrote on X:
“Only in a crazy universe will u have Dube and Riyan Parag playing ahead of KL Rahul, in a decider ODI. Don’t understand what’s happening. He was leading India just 3 ODIs ago and all of a sudden, one failure & he is out of the playing XI. Ridiculous is an understatement.”
Dube and Parag have been considered for their bowling prowess in the contest. While Dube is a medium pacer, Parag is a part-time off-spin bowler.
On the wicketkeeping front, Rahul has 57 dismissals in 37 innings, including five stumpings. The Karnataka-born player is among the top five wicketkeepers with the most dismissals in the format.
Pant has 23 dismissals in as many innings, including one stumping (subject to change after today’s match). He is playing his first ODI following his car accident in December 2022.
Shubman Gill replaced KL Rahul as the new ODI vice-captain
Shubman Gill recently replaced KL Rahul as India’s new vice-captain in ODIs ahead of the series in Sri Lanka. The move came even after Rahul led India to eight wins in 12 games with a win percentage of 66.66. Meanwhile, Gill is yet to lead the Men in Blue in the 50-over format.
India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has said that they are preparing Gill as India’s new white-ball captain. He said (via News 18):
“We feel Shubman is a strong candidate. He plays across all formats and has shown good qualities over the last year, based on feedback from the dressing room."
"Shubman has shown decent leadership qualities, and we want to give him the experience to develop further. There are no guarantees, but that’s the current plan," he added.
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