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Sanjay Manjrekar said KL Rahul’s performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is how the Indian batter has been performing over the last few years.
KL Rahul in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (AP)
KL Rahul blew hot and cold in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy as Sanjay Manjrekar felt the Indian batter’s inconsistent outing in Australia showed how he has been batting in the last few years.
KL Rahul started India’s tour of Australia with a bang, scoring half-centuries in Perth and Brisbane but could not covert those starts as he opened the innings, as he scored 77 runs in the second innings of the Perth Test and 84 in the first innings in Brisbane. The Indian star batter was pushed down the batting order by the returning captain Rohit Sharma in the Boxing Day Test and even returned to the top but managed just 276 runs at an average of 30.67.
Manjrekar said KL Rahul showed promise as BGT 2024-25 appeared to be the turning point in his career but by the end of the series, he failed again.
“I think now we know what KL Rahul is about. We were talking about him being India’s best batter at the start of the series. He looked so compact, then got that 80 in Brisbane as well. We thought this might just change his career in the right direction. Then you saw the failures again,” Manjreka was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
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Manjrekar said despite KL Rahul’s inconsistent show, the Indian batter will retain his place in the Test side for the upcoming series against England.
“I don’t see him being left out for England considering that India still are looking for an opener. They don’t want to go to [Abhimanyu] Easwaran and KL Rahul, the last time he was there, played well. So, I see that opening combination continuing, unless Rohit Sharma comes in and throws spanner in the works,” he added.
