Former India opener Wasim Jaffer feels that KL Rahul will be under the scanner in every match as in-form Suryakumar Yadav is waiting for his chance to get a place in the ODI XI. The team management has backed Rahul to keep the gloves in the first two matches of ODI series against Sri Lanka as players like Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar were put on the bench. Rahul proved his value to the team with a gritty half-century on Thursday to help India register a 4-wicket victory at Eden Gardens.
Rahul scored unbeaten 64 runs off 103 balls as India chased down a 216-run target in 43.2 overs.
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Jaffer said that every innings from hereon is going to be crucial for Rahul as some talented players are waiting in the wings to get their chance.
“When the batting doesn’t perform, you are going to catch the eye. He (Rahul) hasn’t been in great form recently, so every innings of his is going to be scrutinized since Suryakumar Yadav is sitting out. Rishabh Pant is out; Sanju Samson is on his back. It’s understandable that every innings is going to be very critical for him,” Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo.
Recently, Rahul lost his vice-captaincy in white-ball cricket to Hardik Pandya after his underwhelming show with the bat last year.
Jaffer stated that Rahul is a class player but consistency has been a big issue with him as he failed to turn up on bigger occasions.
“It’s nice for him to get some winning runs and get into form. His consistency has been an issue even though he is a class player; there is no doubt about it. But on bigger occasions, he hasn’t lived up to his expectations,” he added.
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Rahul has been assigned the role of batting at number 5 in the middle order in ODIs which is completely different to other formats where he opens the innings. However, things have worked well for him at no 5 so far.
“People do talk about it that when he plays against stronger oppositions, KL doesn’t turn up. But he’s a class player. I hope he remains in this kind of form because he is such a fine player,” he said.
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