KL Rahul accomplished an impressive feat of scoring 393 runs with six half-centuries when Australia previously visited India in 2017. He was the third-most prolific run-scorer of the series.
In 2018, despite his struggle, he had a saving grace in the form of his 149 in the Oval before being dropped. Upon his return to Test cricket in 2021, he scored a century at Lord’s and then again in Centurion, intending to secure his spot in the Test lineup. However, as Australia come back to India six years later, Rahul’s position in the India team is uncertain.
Gill’s Red Hot Form
Shubman Gill’s emergence has sparked a discussion on whether India should open with Rahul or put him in the middle order for the first Test in Nagpur. Rahul has finally broken his silence amidst all the chatter. His remarkable performance has led experienced cricketers such as Harbhajan Singh to advocate for him to bat at the top of the order alongside Rohit Sharma, leading to Rahul being pushed down to the middle order. However, Suryakumar Yadav is also challenging for the same spot, making the decision difficult.
Rahul has mainly been a batsman at the start of innings for India in Tests, having been given the position in 42 of his 45 matches in the format. He accumulated 2513 runs at an average of 35.90 with seven centuries. He has only ever batted in the middle order once, in 2014 against Australia in Melbourne, where he was out for three runs.
Rahul asserted at the media gathering in Nagpur on Tuesday that if his team desires for him to bat in the middle, he was ready to take on the challenge.
KL Rahul also gave hints about India’s potential lineup for the first Test. It may be tempting to pick three spin bowlers due to the spinning conditions in India, but we won’t be certain until the day of the match. He said that choosing the XI players is difficult, as there are still a couple of spots open.