Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir gave blunt advice to KL Rahul after the struggling batter was removed as Team India’s vice-captain in limited-overs cricket for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka at home. He was also rested from the Indian squad for the three-match T20I series.
Rahul is currently under immense pressure about his place in the Indian cricket team after his forgettable outings in all three formats of the game this year.
Since Rahul is going through a rough patch with the bat, Gautam Gambhir, the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) mentor in the IPL, suggested that Rahul needs to make the most of the upcoming three ODIs against Sri Lanka to keep himself from losing his place in ODIs as well.
Gautam Gambhir said in Star Sports' A Chat with Champions: “You can only control what you can control. You can't control selectors, you can't control what's going to happen in the next series. You got three ODIs against Sri Lanka. If you play that, just be in the present. That's all you can control. The moment you start to think about uncontrollable things, you're putting undue pressure on yourself.”
The former opener further stressed that no player is "indispensable," so Rahul must score runs to retain his spot in India’s playing XI.
He said, “If you don't perform, someone else will take your position. That's not only with Sanju or KL, it's with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as well. If they don't perform, you will start questioning their positions too. That's what international cricket is about.”
Gambhir signed off by saying, “No one is indispensable. So, you got three ODIs, you bat in the middle-order, try and get those runs, because ultimately it's the performance that keeps you in the side. Not the name, not your talent.”
