Former Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik hoped that KL Rahul will be retained as an opener by the team management after his impressive performances in the first three tests of the BGT 2024-25 against Australia.
After scoring 26 in the first innings in Perth, Rahul slammed 77 and stitched a monumental 201-run stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second innings. His contributed played a key role in India’s dominating 295-run victory. He filled in the absence of captain and opener Rohit Sharma, who missed the fixture due to the birth of his second child.
With an impactful innings in the first test, Rahul continued to play as an opener in Adelaide, while Rohit was pushed in the middle-order. The game saw Rahul return with knocks of 37 & 7, while Rohit scored 3 & 6.
In the third test played in Brisbane, KL Rahul emerged as India’s finest batter with a 84-run knock, which helped them avoid the follow-on and save the game. However, ‘Hitman’ continued his disappointing form, scoring only 10.
The concerning form might force Rohit to come back to his original position, where he has excelled throughout his career. It will also mean Rahul will be back in the middle-order as well. However, Karthik feels Rahul’s contributions at the top-order must be appreciated and he needs to be backed by the team management.
“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,” Dinesh Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Dinesh Karthik lauds KL Rahul’s overseas record
Dinesh Karthik also lashed out at the people questioning KL Rahul’s consistency and also praised the right-hander’s record on foreign soil. Rahul is the top-scorer in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 235 runs in six innings at an average of 47.
Since the beginning of 2021, Rahul has garnered 889 runs in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) at an average of 40.40. His last test century came in South Africa in December 2023, where he scored 101* off 137 in Centurion, albeit in a losing cause.
“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.
KL Rahul will next be seen in action in the Boxing Day Test, scheduled to be played in Melbourne.
FAQs
What is KL Rahul’s track record in tests?
3,216 runs in 56 games @34.58
How many centuries has KL Rahul scored in Australia?
1
