India opener KL Rahul is enduring a tough time in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The right-hander has registered scores of 4, 9, and 9 in India’s first three Super 12 matches against Pakistan, Netherlands, and South Africa respectively.
More than the lack of runs, Rahul has looked tentative and underconfident in his three outings so far. No wonder, questions are being raised over his place in the playing XI as fans and experts want Rishabh Pant to replace him at the top.
Amid the hue and cry, India head coach Rahul Dravid on Tuesday (November 1) backed KL Rahul to come good in the upcoming games.
Dravid’s comment came on the eve of India’s next Super 12 clash against Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval.
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"I think he is a fantastic player, he has a proven track record. I think he has been batting superbly. These things can happen in T20Is, it has not been that easy for top-order batters. This tournament has been challenging, I think he was brilliant in the practice games against the likes of Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc. He got 60 or 70. I am hoping that it all clicks together in the next few games," said Dravid while addressing a press conference.
"We know his quality and ability, he is very well suited for these conditions. He has got a good all-round game and he has a very good backfoot game which is required in these conditions. We are happy with the way he has been hitting it," he added.
Talking about the conversations he has been having with Rahul, Dravid said: "We have a lot of conversations with players, it is hard to reveal exact details. Rest assured, both in words and in action, over the last year, he knows he has our support. There has been a lot of clarity on what our side is going to be in this tournament and we have not wavered from that. We play a lot of cricket, you might see different players playing in different situations."
"There have been injuries and including him, he has had phases where he has been injured. I think it has been great with captain Rohit Sharma that he has shown faith and belief in players," he continued.
Commenting further on Rahul, the head coach said: "We do not focus on what is being said on the outside. We have certain ideas in mind and we have belief in players. We understand people will go through ups and downs. We understand the nature of Indian cricket. Everyone has our backing and they are here, because we know they have quality."
"In these conditions, we can afford him a little bit of time. As I said, we completely back him, we have no concerns. We know that when he gets going and I have seen that Australia a couple of weeks back against a top-quality attack, I know the impact he can make. Me and Rohit have no doubt in our minds on who will open the batting," he remarked.
(With NDTV inputs)
