KL Rahul returned with figures of 0&12 in the first Test against New Zealand which India lost by eight wickets in Bengaluru.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday backed under-fire batsman KL Rahul ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, which will begin on Thursday (October 24). The right-handed batter has been under sever scrutiny courtesy of his poor form off late. The 32-year-old returned with figures of 0&12 in the first Test which India lost by eight wickets in Bengaluru.
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Rahul has managed to score only one century and two fifties in his last 11 Test matches. That lone hundred came away to South Africa in testing conditions. The Karnataka cricketer has been one of India's go to man when it comes to playing crucial knocks in SENA countries, but he has been consistently inconsistent in the last couple of years.
With the likes of Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan knocking on the doors on the back of impressive knocks Rahul desperately needs runs under his belt to hold on to the middle order slot in the Indian team. Sarfaraz, who scored a brilliant 150 in the first Test against New Zealand, is unlikely to be dropped for the second match in Pune.
Shubman Gill, who missed the first Test because of injury, is slated to come in for the second. Apart from Rahul, the remaining batters had a decent knock in Bengaluru. Therefore it would be interesting see how India's top six looks like in the Pune Test. But it appears Gambhir is ready to give him a long rope.
"Social media does not matter one bit. What the team management and leadership group thinks is very important. He is batting really well, had a decent knock in Kanpur (against Bangladesh on a difficult wicket," Gambhir told reporters on the eve of the second Test when asked about Rahul's place in the team.
"I am sure he would be knowing that he has to score big runs and he has capability of scoring runs. That's why he has been backed by the team...Ultimately, everyone is judged. International cricket is all about being judged," Gambhir added.
India are currently trailing the three-Test series 1-0. After the series against the Black Caps, Rohit Sharma and Co. will travel to Australia for their next red ball assignment. The five-match Border Gavaskar series could decide the finalists of World Test Championship 2023-25. As of now India and Australia are occupying the top spots in the WTC table. The top two teams at the end of the cycle will qualify for the title-decider in Lords in June 2025.
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