KL Rahul's place in India's playing XI for the second Test between India and New Zealand, which begins on Thursday, October 24, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune hangs in the balance after the right-handed batter's inconsistent run of form in the longest format of the game in recent times. However, Aakash Chopra noted that the Indian team is backing him and he will keep getting opportunities to prove his worth before he gets to the deadline.
Rahul scored 86 and 22 in the first Test against England earlier this year before being ruled out of the remainder of the series. He returned to the red-ball arena during the Test series versus Bangladesh. The Karnataka batter managed scores of 16 and 22 not out in the first Test. However, in the first innings of the rain-curtailed second Test, Rahul hit an exhilarating 68 off 43 balls. The 32-year-old, however, failed to come good with the bat in the first Test against New Zealand as he was dismissed for 0 and 12, respectively.
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With Sarfaraz Khan slamming a belligerent 150 in the first Test and Shubman Gill regaining full fitness ahead of the second, all eye are on the Indian team management as they have to make a tough selection call. Rahul could have to vacate his position and allow Gill to comeback. New Zealand eventually won the match by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
"Everybody has a deadline. Honestly, you don't put a date on it. There is no end date. You cannot indefinitely go on without scoring, without taking wickets, irrespective of what your name is. This rule applies to everyone who plays for India. It's not restricted to just KL Rahul. Obviously, the team has seen his value. Now, if you want to turn it around and say, 'Ok, he played in Kanpur, and he scored runs in the 2nd innings. In the 1st Test match, he could have scored more runs, but the team decided to declare. Then we go back to the last series that he didn't play. Previously, before that series, he played against South Africa and scored a century," Aakash Chopra told India Today during an interaction held by Jio Cinema.
At this time, it looks like they are backing KL Rahul: Aakash Chopra
Chopra recalled some of Rahul's famous knocks in Test cricket. The former India opener reminded everyone that seven out of Rahul's eight centuries have come in foreign conditions. Chopra feels that the 32-year-old should get a longer rope in the Indian Test team.
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"So he has more than one reason to think that he is adding value, and also the fact that out of the 8 centuries he scored in Tests, 7 are outside India, including centuries in SENA countries, so from all those standpoints, the boy has a lot to offer, and therefore we must stick with him for a little longer. I am not the one who should be putting a date or time to it, it is for the Indian team to figure out. If they feel they have been given a fair number of chances and if there is a need to move towards someone else. They will take that call. At this time, it looks like they are backing KL Rahul," Chopra stated.
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