Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria says that KL Rahul should recognise that he does not deserve to be a part of the Indian squad, especially since he has been out of form for some time.
He urged that the batter come forth and utilise social media to inform supporters that he will return to the national team only if he performs well in domestic cricket.
The 42-year-old also mentioned Rahul’s inability to create an impact with the bat during his time in the current Indian Premier League (IPL 2023).
Kaneria commented on his YouTube channel:
“KL Rahul should make a bold statement by tweeting ‘I will be back’. He needs to show courage and accept that, based on his current form, he doesn’t deserve to be a part of the Indian team.”
The iconic Pakistan spinner added:
“He should understand that he cannot be unfair to the guys who are in great form. He should say that he will let the selectors think about him again when he does well in domestic cricket.”
He continued:
“KL Rahul has become the talk of the town and has been trolled left, right and center. No doubt he is a fantastic cricketer, but his form has totally disappeared. He is not there, mentally or physically. Every time he gets dropped, they somehow bring him back. Despite not having done anything, he was named in India’s squad for the WTC final.”
Kaneria believes that instead of handing Rahul the long rope yet again, Indian selectors should consider offering opportunities to younger players who have performed well recently, adding:
“He didn’t have a very good IPL and is struggling for him. His hand-eye coordination hasn’t been up to the mark. I think he should be kept away from the Indian team for some time. A lot of new faces have emerged, and they should be tried out.”
KL Rahul was scrutinised earlier this year after a spate of dismal performances in red-ball cricket. He was dropped from India’s playing XI after the first two games of their four-match Test series against Australia.
He has been picked to India’s side for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. He was later ruled out owing to a thigh injury sustained while playing in the IPL 2023.
“One should only criticize someone if they have a solution to the problem” – Danish Kaneria on KL Rahul’s detractors
Danish Kaneria went on to say that KL Rahul has received a lot of flak for his poor performance. He did, however, propose that only people with solutions to Rahul’s problems could criticise him.
He argued that the Indian batter’s recent failure may be due to too much cricket. Kaneria pushed Rahul to return to domestic cricket and concentrate on his fundamentals, explaining:
“So many people have criticized him. But I believe that one should only criticize someone if they have a solution to the problem. According to me, Rahul should go back to the basics. You tend to be stale if you play a lot of cricket consistently, and the same has happened with Rahul as well. He should go back to domestic cricket.”
Rahul was most recently seen in action as the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2023. Before being ruled out due to injury, he had 274 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 113.22.