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KL Rahul is currently under fire for his inconsistency, with many fans and experts questioning his spot in the playing XI. He had a subpar 2022 as he could only amass 822 runs from 30 matches across all formats. He didn’t score a single ton and managed nine half-centuries throughout the year.
Rahul, who missed the T20Is against Sri Lanka due to personal reasons, started the year with a quickfire 29-ball 39 in the first ODI, which India won by 67 runs. With rising competitions from several candidates, Rahul will be hoping for a turnaround in 2023.
Rahul’s heavy backing by the management has often led to fans slamming the selectors, who on most occasions have questioned Sanju Samson’s lack of game time. Meanwhile, the first ODI also saw Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan warm the bench. Suryakumar was coming into the series on the back of a spectacular 122* off 51 balls in the third and final T20I.
Kishan, on the other hand, had slammed a 131-ball 210 in the previous ODI series against Bangladesh, which was played last month.
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Azharuddin had a word of advice to his former teammate and current chief selector Chetan Sharma on the matter. “Chetan is supposed to be doing at least one or two press conferences and should tell that what is the way forward for the current Indian team,” the former India captain told PTI in an interview.
Azharuddin was also extremely critical of Rahul, claiming the wicketkeeper-batter lacks consistency. He also claimed Rahul throws his wickets easily and advised coaches to identify his flaws and rectify it.
“I think consistency is the problem in KL Rahul’s case. But I think there are coaches who should rectify his flaws. In my opinion, he is a good player but consistency is missing in his game,” said Azharuddin.
“I think Rahul is getting out in a lot of manners. Primarily, it is not the good balls that are getting him out. It is poor shot selection first up that is causing problems,” added the former India captain.
Also Read: Shubman Gill reveals how and when he was selected over double centurion Ishan Kishan for 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, the series marked the start of India’s World Cup preparations, which is scheduled to be played later this year on home soil, and the hosts kicked it off on a solid note.
Rohit Sharma smashed 83 off 67 balls, while Virat Kohli went to slam his 45th ODI ton at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday. Apart from the two big guns, young Shubman Gill also had a solid outing. The opener stitched 143 runs for the first wicket with the captain, out of which 70 were Gill’s contribution.
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