IND vs BAN: "He Has Played Over 40 Tests And His Average Is Just Mid-30s, That Is Not Acceptable For An Opener" - Dinesh Karthik On KL Rahul

Stand-in skipper KL Rahul led India to a Test series win in Bangladesh and whitewashed the hosts to clinch the series 2-0. There have been strong criticisms of his batting form as he managed 152 runs in seven innings in Bangladesh. He scored 95 runs in three ODIs and 57 runs in four Test innings.

Rahul has struggled in Test cricket this year, scoring only 137 runs with one half-century and averaging only 17.12 in eight innings. Rahul has been India’s mainstay opener alongside Rohit Sharma for some time now, and he put up a fantastic performance against England last year in the four Tests India played as part of the 2021 series.

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I Would Give KL Those Couple Of Test Matches – Dinesh Karthik

In a conversation with Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik questioned KL Rahul’s below-par average in Test cricket and said the opener should not be given more than two matches to prove his worth. Karthik pointed out that has only averaged in the mid-30s after 45 Tests, which is among the lowest in Indian Test cricket.

“I would give KL those couple of Test matches, but if things don’t go KL Rahul’s way… The one thing that does go against him is the fact that he has played over 40 Tests and his average is just mid-30s. That is not acceptable for an opener. That is one of the lowest among Indian players for sure, who have played 35 Test matches,” he said.

Rahul Needs To Get Couple Of Hundreds Against Australia – Dinesh Karthik

The series of four Test matches between India and Australia will begin on February 3. Karthik believes this is a do-or-die series, and if he fails to score big centuries, he might be forced to give way to youngster Shumban Gill in the India XI.

“That is something that he needs to definitely work on. That will be on his mind. If he wants to cement his place in the Test team, he needs to get a couple of hundreds against Australia. Otherwise, you can definitely see a change, with Shubman Gill doing so well,” he added.

Also read: Cricket Australia Renames Men’s Test Player Of The Year Award After Shane Warne 

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah