Gautam Gambhir heaped effusive praise over KL Rahul, who impressed everyone with his attitude and skill, doing multiple roles for India in the 2-1 ODI series victory over Australia. But, going into the marquee New Zealand tour, the former opener also asked for greater clarity from the Indian team management on young Rishabh Pant, who until receiving a blow to his head and going down with concussion, was the side's first-choice wicketkeeper batsman, not Rahul.
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"There are few areas in cricket and business which overlap," Gambhir wrote in his column for the Times of India. "Let's talk about KL Rahul, a fantastic human resource for Indian cricket. He has a good attitude, top-class fitness level, an array of strokes and leadership qualities. On a corporate scale, Rahul is an invaluable middle-management asset who can be groomed for bigger roles."
"A concussion break to Rishabh Pant meant that Rahul had to keep wickets too, a task he did with assurance. This has now led to talk that he will continue this dual role in the upcoming limited-overs games. I hope the Indian team's HR department - selectors and team management - have deliberated carefully on this."
Rahul was given the gloves in Bangalore for the last ODI despite Pant's availability, which, skipper Virat Kohli later revealed, he is going to do even in the upcoming games, raising doubts on the youngster's future.
"I want the decision-makers to consider a few aspects," Gambhir wrote. "Have they discussed this with Rahul? Is he wholeheartedly performing the role? It's usually impossible for a young cricketer to say "no" to anything thrown at him without risking getting dropped."
"Second, what happens to Rishabh Pant? I think his confidence is already eroding under the constant scrutiny of his technique."
"I'm not sure how he will perceive this move. A fair and open-hearted chat with Rishabh will ensure the team performs well both on and off the field. Organisations can ill afford to have a talented but disgruntled youngster in the room," Gambhir added.
(Inputs from TOI)
