INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Despite a poor run of form, KL Rahul has managed to hold on to his place in the Indian squad for the final two Test matches of
the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy
series unlike the first two Tests
Rahul had even led the Indian team in Bangladesh in December when regular captain Rohit Sharma was ruled out due to injury.The statement
also mentioned Ishan Kishan as the solitary wicketkeeper for the following three-match ODI series against Australia
Rahul remains a part of the ODI squad but has not been assigned the wicketkeeping duties by the selectors
However, the team management and Rahul have insisted that his wicket-keeping and batting at No
5 lends more balance to the ODI team
Jaydev Unadkat, who was released from the squad to play in the Ranji Trophy final for Saurashtra this week, has also been brought back into
the Test team.1/11KL Rahul faces heat for poor batting formPreviousNextShow CaptionsIndia opener KL Rahul has been under fire of late for
In India's 1st innings of the 2nd Test, Rahul initially stood firm against the opposition attack.But Nathan Lyon turned on the heat to
dismiss Rahul in both the innings
AFPRahul has gone past 25 just once in his last 11 Test innings, scoring -- 50, 8, 12, 10, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, 17 and 1
Since 2017, Rahul only has 1204 runs in 48 innings at an average of just over 26
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad lashed out at the Indian team management for persisting with Rahul
Prasad said that the Rahul's inclusion costs other talented batters a place in the national side.Citing the example of Sarfaraz Khan, Prasad
slammed the selectors for ignoring players who have been performing consistently in the domestic circuit
India also have Shubman Gill, who is in sublime form, in the squad to face Australia but he is yet to play a Test in the series
India also have Abhimanyu Easwaran waiting in the wings though he has not been named in the India squad that was announced for the first 2
Going by the statements from the Indian camp, it seems the Indian team management is sold to the two centuries Rahul had scored at Lord's
"If you look at the couple of hundreds he got outside India, one of the best I have seen from KL, especially the one at Lord's batting on
that damp pitch after losing the toss and put in to bat," Rohit said on Sunday.TOI understands that the national selectors and the team
"Of late, there has been a lot of talk about his batting
But the team management, we always look at the potential of any individual, not just KL
I have been asked in the past about a lot of players
If a guy has potential, guys will get that extended run
It is not just about KL but anyone
Playing in England is never easy and he put in a great performance there and centurion was another one
India won both those games
That is the potential he has," Rohit added
"We are not going to look too much into what one individual is doing, it is about how everyone needs to come together
It is a big series for us, so yeah that is my thought on KL."However, sources in the BCCI confirmed that the selectors have deliberately not
This could be a signal for Rahul that he is not assured of a place for too long.Unadkat, Jadeja back for ODIsThe selectors also named
The left-arm medium-pacer last played an ODI in a home series against West Indies in 2013
Interestingly, Arshdeep Singh has missed out for the ODI series
Ravindra Jadeja also makes a comeback in the white-ball cricket since the Asia Cup last September
He last played an ODI in England last July.India's Test squad for third and fourth Test against Australia: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul,
Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra
Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.India's ODI squad against Australia: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman
Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, K L Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep
Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohd
Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat.* Rohit Sharma will be unavailable for the first ODI due to family
commitments and Hardik Pandya will lead the side.
