'KL Rahul Will Be In Shadows of Rohit, Virat Kohli' - Ex-KKR Star On LSG Captain's Future
KL Rahul (X.com)
Former India cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra did not mince his words as he called KL Rahul, a talented right-hand batter, unlucky because he would always remain in the shadows of Indian heavyweights Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He also believes that as long as he keeps scoring runs, he will advance in his career and move forward.
The Karnataka batter has been included in India's recently announced squad for the upcoming Tests against their neighbours, Bangladesh. KL, along with Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel, are the three wicket-keeper batters picked in the 16-man squad.
During an interview, Chopra said he liked KL Rahul as a player and called him super talented and skilled. He stated:
"I personally like KL Rahul as a player. He will have to score runs. If he keeps scoring runs, he will keep moving forward. His fate is that he will always be in the shadows of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. These are the big guys."
"I feel Rahul is super talented and super skilled. Future - he will keep playing until he keeps scoring runs. Although the team rates him very highly, an atmosphere gets created against him very quickly in Indian cricket. There are plenty of people who go after him."
He also said that the 32-year-old batter is unlikely to get the chances he deserves.
"So he won't get as long a rope as you would give to anyone else with the same caliber or pedigree. If it's up to me, I would definitely give it because he has scored a lot of runs and difficult runs," he added.
KL Rahul for India in Tests
He has represented India in 86 Test matches, during which time he has amassed a total of 2863 runs with a high score of 199. He has slammed eight centuries and 14 half-centuries.
Though he showed signs of resurgence in 2021, averaging 46.10, his performances in 2022 and 2023 did not meet the same standard. So far in 2024, KL Rahul has played just three Test innings, scoring 116 runs at an average of 38.66.
India's squad for Tests vs Bangladesh
Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal
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