KL Rahul’s form has gone from bad to worse in th ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and the now former India vice-captain is competing for his place in the playing XI. The out-of-form batsman has been sacked as the vice-captain and is part of the squad for the last two Test matches as a specialist batsman.
With Rahul struggling for runs, there could be a case that Shubman Gill might be given an opportunity in the 3rd Test match. But Rahul has the team management’s backing and could be backed again. The opening batsman has struggled for runs since becoming the vice-captain and should Rahul play the 3rd Test, it will be after more than a year that he will play without being part of the leadership group.
The 30-year-old became part of the leadership group on the South Africa tour last year. As the fans await the start of the 3rd Test match between India and Australia, here’s a look at KL Rahul’s struggling numbers since he became vice-captain.
50,8, 12 and 10 vs South Africa
KL Rahul kicked off the South Africa tour with a century in the Boxing Day Test match in 2021. But he wasn’t named vice-captain for the series. He only joined the leadership group after Virat Kohli was ruled out of the 2nd Test match and Rahul led the team in that fixture. He kicked off his journey with a half-century but has struggled for runs since then.
He was dismissed for 8 in the 2nd innings of the second Test match and managed scores of 12 and 10 in the final red-ball game of the series. Kohli was back as captain in that game.
22, 23, 10 and 12 vs Bangladesh
With Rohit Sharma ruled out of the Test series against Bangladesh, KL Rahul captained the visitors and failed to breach 25-run mark even once. He was dismissed for 22 and 23 in the first Test and managed a total score of 12 in the 2nd innings. Even though India won the series 2-0, Rahul’s form remained a worry for Team India.
Struggles against Australia
With Rohit fit, Rahul was once again back as vice-captain. There were doubts over his place in the playing XI at the start of the Australia series as Shubman Gill has been in the form of his life in 2023. But the team management backed Rahul.
The backing hasn’t quite worked and Rahul has scores of 20, 17 and 1 across three innings. His below-par performance saw the selectors sacking him as vice-captain and Rahul isn’t a confirmed starter for the 3rd Test match.
If he gets a chance in the 3rd Test, it will be after a year that he will play without an additional role. The penultimate Test match of the series will be played in Indore from March 1 to 5.
