After enduring failure in the Nagpur Test against Australia last week, India opener KL Rahul couldn’t make a mark with the bat in the second Test in Delhi.
Rahul was preferred in India’s starting XI over the in-form Shubman Gill for the first two Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests. However, the right-hander failed to repay the faith of the team management, registering scores of 20, 17 and 1 in three innings.
As a result, Rahul is drawing criticism from the fans and experts, with many of them questioning his place in the side.
Meanwhile, veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has suggested KL Rahul to take some time off from Test cricket.
"I think he [KL Rahul] played the best shot possible to that ball. But he would also know that if he is going to be dropped for the remaining matches, which is pretty much an eventuality, it is not because of this one innings. It is because of what has happened and transpired over the last five or six Test matches,” said Karthik while speaking to Cricbuzz.
"He is a class player and is very good in all formats. But at this point in time, I don't think it's the technique. I think it's because of what happens between the ears that's really troubling him. He might need some time off from the game to go back and come back fresh for the ODIs,” he added.
Karthik further opined that Shubman Gill should come in for Rahul since the former has batted beautifully recently.
While Gill took the cricketing world by storm with his white-ball exploits against New Zealand last month, he also slammed a century during his last Test tour of Bangladesh in December 2022.
"I have to go with Shubman Gill, he's just batted beautifully. There will be just one change in the playing XI. I feel very bad for KL Rahul, I think he's been under the scanner,” said Karthik.
Having won the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi, India have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series and also retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for fourth straight time.
The third Test match is due to be held in Indore from March 1.
