Star Indian batter KL Rahul has been going through a rough patch in red-ball cricket for quite some time now, because of which he has been heavily criticized by many former greats of the game recently. They questioned his place on the team and even accused him of being selected based on favoritism and not talent. KL’s poor form also did nothing good to his chances, and he was dropped from India’s playing XI against Australia after failing to fire in the first two matches. He was also sacked from his position as India’s Test vice-captain.
And taking note of all the criticism that came Rahul’s way in the last couple of months, former Indian opening batter Gautam Gambhir has hit back at his critics for questioning his batting credentials. He reminded everyone of Rahul’s batting skills, particularly in the IPL, and stated that he will not be under any pressure in the upcoming season of the cash-rich league, where he will lead the Lucknow Super Giants once again.
“As far as KL Rahul is concerned, I don’t think he is under any kind of pressure. International cricket and the IPL are different from each other. If you don’t perform well in international cricket despite scoring 1,000 runs in the IPL, you will still have to deal with criticism. And that’s international cricket for you. After all, only 15 players get a chance to play for India. In the IPL, more than 150 players get selected. Thus, you should not compare these two (the IPL and international cricket).” Gambhir told Sports Tak
By using reference of Rahul’s batting records in the IPL, Gambhir took a cheeky dig at former Indian cricketers without naming anyone and said that they need some masala to remain active.
“How Rahul has fared in the IPL, he has 4-5 centuries in the tournament. And you are talking about a player who has already slammed 4-5 centuries. Even last season, he scored a century against the Mumbai Indians. We have so many people here. Sometimes ex-cricketers need some masala to remain active. So that’s why you criticize people. According to me, the kind of player KL is, he won’t be under any kind of pressure. You can’t win a tournament with just one player. The 25 players who are inside the dressing room help you win the tournament,” Gambhir concluded.
