Former India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has backed the star batter KL Rahul to serve as the long-term opener of the team in Test cricket.
Dinesh Karthik believes that KL Rahul should be judged on the basis of the excellent performances, he has delivered in overseas matches and he deserves a longer rope as an opener.
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KL Rahul has shined in BGT 2024-25
The 32-year-old Rahul has emerged as one of the best batters of the Indian team in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He has looked the most settled in the middle among all the batters and has dealt with the threat of dangerous Aussie pacers quite well.
KL Rahul was given the opportunity to open the innings for India in the ongoing series after he impressed everyone with his heroics in the Perth Test match.
In the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul did a fantastic job while opening the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal and registered scores of 26 & 77. He failed in the pink-ball Test match as he registered the scores of 37 & 7. However, he bounced back in the Gabba Test and played a wonderful knock of 84 runs in the first innings.
As the seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been going through a lean patch, Rahul has taken the responsibility to lead the Indian batting unit very well, and his form will be crucial for the team heading into the last two Test matches of the five-match series.
“I believe, in KL Rahul, we have the opener that India needs” – Dinesh Karthik
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said that the Indian team management should provide backing to KL Rahul even after he fails in a series, as he has great potential to serve as the long-term opener of the side.
“I believe, in KL Rahul, we have the opener that India needs. I hope they continue to back him. If, within the next year, there’s a series where he has a couple of low scores, I hope people don’t have a short memory. We need to appreciate what he has done and what he is doing today. That matters a lot. People often forget that many Test cricketers are judged on what they do abroad. And Rahul has been as good as anyone who has played for the country over an extended period.”
“People always complain about his consistency”- Dinesh Karthik
Rahul has featured in 56 Test matches for India National Cricket Team and has scored 3216 runs at an average of 34.58. His numbers don’t really depict his true potential and many cricket legends have opined that a player of Rahul’s calibre should have an average of around 50 in Test cricket.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik admitted that Rahul isn’t among the most consistent players and said that he is a far better player than what his average shows, especially in overseas conditions.
“People always complain about his consistency; I don’t want to use that word. But he takes it upon himself. His average shows that. But he is far better than that. He is someone who is much, much better than that.
“But, if you take any Indian team planning to tour abroad, he will be one of the first names on that list because you know exactly what you will get from him,” he added
