KL Rahul’s place in the Indian team has become a topic of debate after his failure in the first two Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests against Australia.

The right-handed opener was preferred in India’s starting XI over the in-form Shubman Gill but he failed to repay the faith of the team management, registering scores of 20, 17 and 1 across the three innings in Nagpur and Delhi. As a result, he is drawing flak from the fans and experts, with many of them questioning his spot in the side.

Amid the debate, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has said that it will be difficult for Rahul to avoid criticism because of the enormous expectations and also the fact that past cricketers have set high standards.

Rahul, who was stripped of the vice-captaincy for the remaining two Tests against Australia, hasn't crossed 25-run mark in his last 10 Test knocks. An average of less than 35 in 47 Tests is a testimony of the fact that he hasn’t realized his potential yet.

"When you don't score runs in India, obviously you will get flak. KL Rahul hasn't been the only one. There have been players in the past also," Ganguly told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"There's so much focus and attention with lot of pressure on players. The team management thinks he is an important player for the team. At the end of the day, what coach and captain thinks is important," he added.

While Rahul has played some quality knocks in England and South Africa, Ganguly said it's obvious that people will expect way more from a talented batter.

"He has performed but obviously you expect a lot more from a top order batter playing for India because the standards set by others are so high.

"When you fail for a while, obviously there will be criticism. I am sure Rahul has ability and I am sure as and when he gets more opportunities, he will have to find ways to score," he explained.

When asked whether Rahul's issue is technical or mental, Ganguly replied, “both”, before adding that the opener is getting out to pacers as well as spinners in all conditions.

"It also makes it hard if you are playing on these sort of pitches as the balls are turning and bouncing. There's uneven bounce and when you are not in form, it makes it even more harder."

There has been an outrage to include Shubman Gill in the playing XI but Ganguly feels that the Punjab lad will get his chances and there's no harm if he has to wait a little bit.

"I am sure when his time comes, he will also get a lot of opportunities. I think the selectors, the captain and the coach think of him and rate him very highly. That's why he is playing ODIs and T20Is, and he has performed as well. But at the present moment, perhaps message from team management is that he has to wait."

(With PTI Inputs)