Former Indian National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik Backed star-prone KL Rahul to serve as the team’s long-term key in Test cricket.
Dinesh Karthik feels that KL Rahul should be credited for his excellent performance, which he has performed in overseas matches and he deserves a longer string as an opener.
KL Rahul shined in BGT 2024-25
The 32-year-old Rahul has emerged as one of the best batsmen in the Indian team in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He looked the most determined of all the batsmen in the middle and dealt with the threat of the dangerous Aussie pacers quite well.
KL Rahul was given the opportunity to open the innings for the ongoing India series After impressing everyone with his heroics in the Perth Test match.
if not Rohit SharmaKL Rahul did a fantastic job opening the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring 26 and 77. He failed in the pink ball Test match as he recorded scores of 37 and 7. However, he bounced back in the Gabba Test. and played a fine knock of 84 runs in the first innings.
As seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli going through a lean patch, Rahul has shouldered the responsibility of leading the Indian batting unit very well and his form will be crucial for the team heading into the final two Test matches of the five-match series.
“I believe we have the key India needs in KL Rahul” – Dinesh Karthik
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said that the Indian team management should back KL Rahul even after a string of setbacks as he has great potential to serve as the side’s long-term opener.
“I believe we have the key India needs in KL Rahul. I hope they continue to support it. If there is a series in the next year where he scores a few low points, I hope people don’t have a short memory. We should appreciate what he did and what he is doing today. This is very important. People often forget that many test cricketers are judged for what they do abroad. Rahul was as good as anyone who has played for the country for a long time.”
“People always complain about his consistency” – Dinesh Karthik
Rahul played 56 Test matches for the Indian National Cricket Team and scored 3216 runs at an average of 34.58. His numbers don’t really depict his true potential and many cricket legends have said that a player of Rahul’s caliber should average 50 in Test cricket.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik admitted that Rahul is not among the most consistent players and said that he is a better-than-average player, especially in overseas conditions.
“People always complain about his consistency; I don’t want to use that word. But he takes it upon himself. His average shows that. But he is much better than that. He is someone who is much, much better than her.
“But if you take any Indian team that is planning an overseas tour, it will be one of the first names on the list because you know exactly what you are going to get from it,” he said.
