Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg believes KL Rahul could be dropped from the third Test match against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series. Rahul hasn’t been able to get going in the series as he has returned with low scores of 20, 17 and 1.
The Indian opener has scored 2642 runs in 47 Test matches at a below-average of 33.44. Rahul has amassed 1214 runs in the last 48 Test innings since 2018 at a below-par average of 25.82, which is a cause of concern.
The right-hander has been batting in a shell in the recent past and it is leading to his downfall. Hogg stated that he will bring in in-form Shubman Gill in place of KL Rahul in the final XI.
Hogg said on his YouTube channel: “I never, ever want to drop KL Rahul, I think he has been a fantastic contributor to Indian cricket, he has been put in so many different roles and he has achieved so much.”
Hogg continued: “But, his form at the moment presents a problem, and I think India need someone aggressive at the top of the order, just to take on the Australian bowlers and try to get some momentum. So, I would bring in Gill in place of Rahul.”
On the other hand, India’s head coach Rahul Dravid had earlier said that the team management will continue to back KL Rahul despite his recent struggles.
He said on Star Sports, “This is just a phase, he has been one of our most successful overseas openers. He’s got hundreds in South Africa and England, we’ll continue to back him.”
He added: “I believe he has the quality and class to come out of this. It is great working with this unit, managing formats is the most difficult part. But there’s not a lot of technical coaching, just simple conversations and challenging them, and giving them a pat on the back when they do well.”
It will be interesting to note India’s playing XI in the Indore Test, which begins from Wednesday at the Holkar Cricket Stadium.
