Indian National Cricket Team assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has issued a big warning to 32-year-old batsman KL Rahul for getting close with the bat in Test cricket.
KL Rahul did not perform well in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. He looked ultra defensive in the first innings and scored 16 runs off 52 balls. He faced heavy criticism after failing to perform in the first innings, but looked much better in the second innings, scoring just 19 off 22 runs before the decision to declare on Day 3.
The declaration decision did not go down well with several pundits, including Aakash Chopra, who criticized the Indian team management for not allowing KL Rahul to play extra time in the middle with more than two days left in the game.
Going into the second Test match against Bangla Tigers in Kanpur, KL Rahul will be under immense pressure to perform as the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel are waiting on the bench to get an opportunity. The duo were fantastic with the bat in their debut Test series against England earlier in the year. However, the return of seniors saw both Sarfaraz and Jurel warming the bench.
Talking about KL Rahul ahead of the second Test between India and Bangladesh, India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said the batsman does not need any extra motivation to perform well and knows his game very well.
“I think inspiration is not something you need when you play in India. Sometimes it’s just direction. I feel like KL… I’ve spent some time with him in the last few days. I think he’s someone who understands his game very well. I feel there are times in South Africa when a player hits big for India,” he said.
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Abhishek Nayar aims to bring the best out of KL Rahul
Abhishek Nayar further said that he along with head coach Gautam Gambhir are trying their best to tap into KL Rahul to his full potential and get the best out of him.
“We are very hopeful that with the combination of Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) and myself, we can create a turnaround for him,” said Nayar.
Abhishek Nayar also sent a serious message to KL Rahul saying that the positive approach he took in the second innings against Bangladesh is what the team management wants him to follow. He said:
“His knock in the second innings of the last game showed what we were looking for. Although we didn’t give him many chances in the second half, his approach was promising. I’m sure he will be in the future, the expectations from him will coincide with his performances.”
In total, Rahul has represented the Indian National Cricket Team in 51 Test matches and has done a decent job so far. In the 81 innings he batted, Rahul scored 2901 runs at an average of 34.12. Also, the right-handed batter has 8 tons and 14 wickets to his name.
