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'They Have Realised That..'- Legendary Batter Opens Up On KL Rahul's T20I Future

image-lpxyteqeKL Rahul was dropped from T20Is after a sustained dip in scoring (Twitter)

Sanjay Manjrekar gave his views on India's decision to snub KL Rahul from the T20I squad since the painstaking semifinal defeat at the hands of England in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. He said the selectors seem to have moved on from the Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter in the format. 

Even as Rahul's excellent performances in One-Day Internationals, including the recent ICC World Cup 2023, earned him a surprising comeback in the Test squad as one of the wicketkeeper-batters, there was no such change of heart from the decision-makers when it comes to the shortest format. 

Rahul has been out of reckoning from T20Is since November last year after undergoing a sustained match-losing blip at the top of the order. He is missing from the T20I leg of the looming all-format tour of South Africa while holding an influential role in the ODIs and Tests that follow. 

Manjrekar On KL Rahul's Persistent T20I Snub 

Manjrekar, who had previously urged Rahul to revisit his playing strategy and slot in the T20 format with a suggestion for him to move to the middle-order for his IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the quest to make a comeback, said the selectors seem to find the younger options more promising to invest in. 

With Rishabh Pant currently out of the scene due to his persistent rehab from a horrific car accident endured last winter and Sanju Samson finding an axe, the squad in South Africa features Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeping incumbent alongside his backup, Jitesh Sharma. 

"Basically what's happened is KL Rahul's performances in the major T20 matches, the T20 World Cup for example, they have realised that they have got more exciting options than KL Rahul in T20 cricket," Manjrekar told Star Sports. 

"However, I thought he was superb in the 50-over World Cup, so he is back there, and in Test matches, obviously an option as a keeper as well. So, I think at the moment, slightly out of favour with the selectors when it comes to T20 cricket," the former India batter added.