India vs Australia 3rd Test: KL Rahul set to Lose Test Spot After Being Sacked of Vice-Captaincy

Team India opener KL Rahul is going through a horror patch. Rahul, who recently got married to Bollywood star Athiya Shetty, was unlucky to be dismissed for just 1 in the second innings of the second Test against Australia, which India won by six wickets. The Indian batter has just scored 125 runs in his last 10 innings – the worst among the top Indian batters.

The Shiv Sundar Das-led selection committee removed KL Rahul from vice-captaincy on Sunday (February 19), hours after he was dismissed for 1. While Rahul has complete backing from coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma, it’s not the same inside the dressing room.

“The idea was to help him as much as we could. His position in the team is questionable and precarious. Yes, Rahul has done well in the past in overseas Test but he is not at the same level as some who are fighting for a spot in the team. But there should not be much tinkering with the squad that is winning. That is why he was given a chance to remain in the squad,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport website.

KL Rahul’s continuation in the Test team, despite his repeated failures, is proving to be one of the most curious cases in Indian cricket. Not many have survived the kind of failures that the man from Bengaluru has endured. Fewer have received such unwavering support from the who's who of Indian cricket, making for a fascinating watch.

What about this ?

KL Rahul Test Batting average

2022 - 17.1
2023 - 12.7

Mohammed Shami Test batting Average

2022 - 12.3
2023 - 19.5

Note : viewers please don't laugh _#KLRahul #BCCISelectionCommittee pic.twitter.com/n4iMfuAFdI — shibi____ (@shibi_meppayour) February 20, 2023

So why is he being persisted with? Talent or favouritism? a match winner or a liability? There are varied opinions, but for the men who matter, he is precious.

There aren’t too many videos of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in same frame. But there was one shot right after the Indian team finished its Asia Cup campaign in Dubai, where Kohli was interviewed by his skipper for the BCCI website after his much-awaited 71st international hundred, against Afghanistan. That interaction stood out for a different reason.

“We shouldn’t ignore KL’s knock as we know how important it is for KL to be in a good head space, heading into the World Cup. We know what he can do in this format, plays very clean shots, and once he bats in T20 cricket, our team looks even more strong,” Kohli said when Rohit asked how the former skipper was helping the other players.

The only thing that appeared a bit out of place in that particular interview was that the question on Rahul didn’t seem organic. It seemed as if they were trying to make a statement in support of Rahul on behalf of the team.

The two biggest names in that dressing room wanted to get a protective shield around a teammate, whom they consider a minefield of talent but whose deliverables have been few and far in between. Nearly six months have passed since that interaction and calls for Rahul’s ouster have reached a crescendo after three successive failures against Australia. Prior to facing Australia, he had four scores of under 25 against Bangladesh, not the most feared among the Test opposition.

Rahul Dravid and the think tank has immense faith in KL Rahul's abilities, so he is getting an extended run like Rohit got in ODIs. We all know KL is a special player. It's high time he converted his potential into consistent scores. Let's hope he comes good in the last 2 tests. https://t.co/G5Pt7GSX2k — Dodda Ganesh | _____ _____ (@doddaganesha) February 20, 2023

What has surprised many is the carte blanche that the Rahul Dravid-led team management has given to the Bangalore man. In the last two weeks, three senior members of the Indian team management have dead batted questions on Rahul’s form, but there was something eerily similar to their defence.

In Nagpur, the news agency PTI had asked batting coach Vikram Rathour, also a former national selector, about Rahul’s form. Initially, he didn't wish to comment but then spoke about his last two Test hundreds. “To be fair to KL, he (Rahul) has scored two hundreds in his last 10 Tests ? one in England and other in South Africa and also has a couple of fifties. So yeah, I don't think we are there,” Rathour had said in Nagpur after the second day’s play against Australia.

Cut to Delhi, at the post-match interactions of coach Dravid and skipper Rohit, the basic narrative on Rahul seemed to be cut from the same cloth. “It is not just about KL, but anyone. If you look at a couple of hundreds, he got outside India (England and SA, both in 2021), one of the best I have seen from KL, especially the one at Lord’s. Batting on that damp pitch in England, (that too) after losing the toss and put in to bat is never easy. He (Rahul) put a great performance there and Centurion was another one. India won both those games. That is the potential he has,” Rohit was all praise for his then vice-captain.

Dravid said almost the same thing in a reconstructed way. “We will back him (Rahul) as far as possible,” Dravid told Star Sports.

So why this kind of fascination for one particular player, whose average is a below-par 33.44 after 47 Tests. It is because every important member of the team management feels that Rahul has more talent than a Mayank Agarwal or a Shikhar Dhawan.

Talent without hardwork is of no use but hardwork without talent can only guarantee limited success.

(with PTI inputs)