Sunil Gavaskar, who played for India in the past, believes that KL Rahul will soon be back to his old self. Over the course of the last several months, the current vice-captain of Squad India has struggled with injuries as well as COVID-19, which has resulted in a very limited number of appearances for the team in the shortest format.
During India’s most recent one-day international series against Zimbabwe, Rahul made his comeback to competitive play. Naseem Shah took him out for a duck with the first ball he faced during his first Twenty20 International of the year, which took place against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
Is there something in the pitch that is not visible. Simply can't fathom this approach especially from KL Rahul. #IndvsHkg
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) August 31, 2022
In the game that was just finished against Hong Kong on Wednesday, he didn’t appear in form as well as he usually does and scored only 36 runs off of 39 deliveries.
What did Sunil Gavaskar say about KL Rahul?
During an interview with India Today, Sunil Gavaskar expressed his belief that KL Rahul ought to be given a lengthy stint on the side, similar to that of his fellow countrymen:
“In my opinion, KL Rahul is the epitome of elegance. If you give others a long rope, then why can’t we give KL Rahul a long rope? Considering the level of performance he has consistently shown for India throughout the course of his career.
In addition to that, he is your vice-captain. Because we have all seen what he is capable of in the Twenty20 format, you give him a long rope.”
An injury to the hamstring was sustained earlier this year by the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). After the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, he made his way to Germany to get medical treatment for a hernia ailment.
What on earth is driving KL Rahul to bat with this "approach" when India have been so vocal about aggressive intent. #INDvHK
— Mayank (@kmayank9) August 31, 2022
To make things even more difficult, COVID-19 slowed down his rehabilitation, and as a result, he was unable to participate in the tour in England.
Gavaskar observed the fact that Rahul would, at some point, establish his rhythm:
“He is coming back from an injury, so he is not quite back into his groove yet, but he will get there, and when he does, it will be devastating for the competition.”
There are still a few matches left for the player who was born in Karnataka to participate in before the Twenty20 World Cup begins. After the conclusion of the current Asia Cup, India is slated to play host to a pair of white-ball series against Australia and South Africa.
