Aakash Chopra has reasoned out why KL Rahul will not play in the Test series opener against Australia. The latter was the deputy of Virat Kohli in the recently concluded T20I and ODI series. But, things are not the same for him when it comes to playing red-ball cricket. He is yet to establish his place in the longer format. And, there are chances that he might have to wait for his comeback game.
India and Australia are currently busy playing in the warm-up games. Both the teams are giving their best in order to get back into the grooves ahead of the big series. Rishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari smashed brilliant tons in the 2nd game and showcased their convincing form with the bat. But, KL Rahul didn’t feature in any of the practice matches played till now.
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Aakash Chopra Reviews Absence Of KL Rahul From Practice Games
In a video, Aakash Chopra pointed out the absence of KL Rahul and opined that the latter will have to wait for his chance in whites. The Karnataka-batsman has groomed as the brightest prospect for Team India in the limited-overs format. Although the year 2020 turned out to be a nightmare for the majority of people. But, it was one of the best years for KL Rahul as a player.
He has smashed runs in bundles and Team India has gained major benifits from the same. The right-batsman outplayed every player on New Zealand tour and IPL 2020. He was also on fire in the recently conlcuded series against Australia.
The things are vice-versa for Rahul in Test cricket. He has not done well in the longer format in past 10 games. This is the reason he was dropped from the Test team. But, selectors have once again shown trust over his abilities to perform better against Australia. He can prove to be an important player if given chance. He has good record in overseas countries and smashed tons in Australia, West Indies and England.
“KL Rahul has a case to be India’s opener for the first Test. You might ask why I am making his case. It is because his stats might say something, he has scored runs at an average of 36 in thirty-three Test matches and has scored five centuries as an opener,” stated Chopra while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“So, he is a very good player. Although, if you see his last ten knocks in Test cricket, you will find that he has not scored too many runs. That is something that is going against him,” he added.
“KL Rahul having not played a warm-up match goes against him. It was understandable that he didn’t play the first one because he was playing the T20Is, but he could have played the second pink-ball match,” concluded Chopra.
India vs Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy is schduled to begin from December 17 in Adelaide.
