News: Indian legend criticizes KL Rahul after yet another failure in the 2nd Test

The uncertainty surrounding KL Rahul’s place in the Indian team grew after he was removed for yet another low score in the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia. On Day 2 of the Delhi Test, he was out LBW for 17 after failing to deal with a Nathan Lyon delivery. Lyon got one to drift and turn from around the wicket in the 18th over of India’s innings. Rahul erred by planting his front foot across rather than straight, and he paid the price. As the ball struck him on the knee roll, the umpire called him out. He chose DRS, but replays revealed that the ball would have continued to pierce the leg stump, therefore the ruling stood.

Rahul’s Test form has plummeted after a strong return in the England series and a strong outing in South Africa. Since 2022, the opener has averaged just 17.4 in Tests, the lowest of any Indian batsman batting from 1 to 7 with at least 100 runs scored. Rahul also has the second-lowest Test average of any opening hitter since 2022. KL Rahul last struck a Test century against South Africa in December 2021 at Centurion. His final half-century came a week later in the same series. When asked about Rahul’s bat issues, great India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar stated the right-hander has a mental block and doesn’t know whether to swing forward or back.

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KL Rahul is not there mentally according to experts

“He doesn’t know whether to go back or come forward. With KL Rahul, he takes his front foot across and the ball is turning into you, you have to play with a straight bat but when you take your front foot across like that you are left with no choice but to play with an angled bat. The chances of you missing the ball are more. Rohit takes the front foot away, so he allows the bat to come around and play the ball in front of the pad. That’s why you see Rohit Sharma look so secure and why Rahul looks tentative,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

“I think KL Rahul has just to back himself a little bit. He is scared of getting out. You cannot bat that way, you’ve got to be confident in your own ability. He is just restricting himself. I’d love to see him bat freely and not worry about getting out,” Waugh said. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said, “By aggression, I don’t mean he defends three balls and looks to hit a six in the fourth. I want him to be able to bat freely like Virat Kohli starts looking from ones and twos from ball one. That’s the way you become successful. You have to be proactive. When you are worried about getting out, your natural instincts get shackled.”