What does yet another failure for KL Rahul mean?
KL Rahul was given yet another chance by Virat Kohli to open the innings for India in the crucial Sydney Test, and he failed once again. However, it will serve no purpose to engage in a blame game, and pillory either Rahul for his lack of runs or Kohli for his continued show of faith in a struggling batsman for so long.
But, it is important to find the best possible way in which Rahul can get back to form because he is one of the most supremely gifted batsmen that India has. He is also one of the very few players in this Indian line up who can be equally adept in all forms of the game.
It is no secret that skipper Virat Kohli looks at Rahul as a certainty for the 2019 ICC World Cup. So, it is important for India to have an in-form Rahul, because an in-form Rahul enriches the Indian team in all three formats, unlike someone who plays in only one format of the game.
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After India’s loss in the second Test at Perth, Gavaskar had rightly pointed out that Rahul should have been sent back home, where he could play in the domestic circuit. It was a wise suggestion that was unfortunately not acted upon by the Indian team management.
As one can see now, it has done him no good sticking around the Indian team and warm the bench, when he could have spent some time on the field in Indian domestic circuit. However, that time is gone now and unless India bats a second time in Sydney, there is no more-long format cricket for him for a long time.
India will now play One-day internationals against Australia and New Zealand, and KL Rahul is an integral part of the Indian ODI team. Usually, he is seen as a reserve opening batsman behind Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.
Perhaps, it will not be a bad idea to play Rahul in those matches so that he gets time on the field and gets back to scoring runs, again. Because, with the kind of negativity surrounding him after all these recent failures, staying away from cricket will do him no good at all.
However, if Kohli wants him to remain in the ODI squad without actually giving him a chance in the playing eleven, it may actually be better to send him back to India so that he could play in the Ranji trophy matches and try and get back into some sort of form.