KL Rahul’s struggles have been the only blip in an otherwise dominant display from Team India in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023, which the Men in Blue have retained successfully after taking a 2-0 lead.
The Indian opener has struggled to score consistently and his performances have been questioned by former cricketers like Venkatesh Prasad, although Rahul has found some support with Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh urging patience.
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly meanwhile became the latest legend to talk about Rahul’s lean form, and he admitted that playing for the Indian team, there will always be pressure once a player struggles to meet expectations.
When India’s squad for the remaining two Tests was announced, Rahul was retained in the squad but was removed from vice-captaincy.
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Speaking in an interview with PTI, on the sidelines of Delhi Capitals’ IPL 2023 pre-season camp, Ganguly expected Rahul to bounce back from his recent slump.
“When you don’t score runs in India, obviously you will get flak. KL Rahul hasn’t been the only one. There have been players in the past also,” said Ganguly.
“There’s so much focus and attention with lot of pressure on players. The team management thinks he is an important player for the team. At the end of the day, what coach and captain thinks is important,” he added.
Ganguly further added that having played some memorable knocks in his career, there will always be added pressure on a player to keep getting better and score at a consistent rate.
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“He has performed but obviously you expect a lot more from a top-order batter playing for India because the standards set by others are so high. When you fail for a while, obviously there will be criticism. I am sure Rahul has the ability and I am sure as and when he gets more opportunities, he will have to find ways to score,” the legendary opener added.
When quizzed about Shubman Gill, the talented youngster who has been knocking at the door, and has been speculated to take over the mantle from Rahul, Ganguly insisted that Gill has the backing of skipper Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, and he must be patient, his chances will come.
“I am sure when his time comes, he will also get a lot of opportunities. I think the selectors, the captain and the coach think of him and rate him very highly. That’s why he is playing ODIs and T20Is, and he has performed as well. But at the present moment, perhaps message from team management is that he has to wait,” the former BCCI supremo stated.
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