India opener KL Rahul’s poor run of form with the bat in Tests continued as after making 21 in the first Test against Australia in Nagpur, he fell for 17 runs in India’s first innings in the second Test in Delhi on February 18, 2023.
India had resumed their innings on day two on 21/0 in response to Australia’s 263 runs. Rahul (17), who survived two DRS appeals by Australia, was trapped leg-before as Lyon tossed one from round the wicket and got it to deviate enough and find his pads.
KL Rahul's continuous run of low scores in Tests, where he averages 34.07 in 46 Tests before this match, led former India players Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar to analyze why he was struggling to play flowing cricket.
“He doesn’t know whether to go back or come forward. With KL Rahul, he takes his front foot across and the ball is turning into you, you have to play with a straight bat but when you take your front foot across like that you are left with no choice but to play with an angled bat,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“The chances of you missing the ball are more. Rohit takes the front foot away, so he allows the bat to come around and play the ball in front of the pad. That’s why you see Rohit Sharma look so secure and why Rahul looks tentative,” Gavaskar added.
Meanwhile, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar shared his thought on Rahul’s dismissal and said, “By aggression, I don’t mean he defends three balls and looks to hit a six in the fourth. I want him to be able to bat freely like Virat Kohli starts looking from ones and twos from ball one. That’s the way you become successful. You have to be proactive. When you are worried about getting out, your natural instincts get shackled.”
India finished their first innings on 262 with Akshar Patel making 74 and Australia finished day two on 61/1 with a lead of 62 runs.
