Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar doesn’t want the team management to back KL Rahul as an opener in the opening Test match of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. With Rohit Sharma ruled out of the opening game, India will give the opening slot to either Abhimanyu Easwaran or KL Rahul.

Rahul returned with scores of 0 and 12 in the opening Test against New Zealand and he was dropped in the next two Test matches. Furthermore, Rahul returned with scores of 4 and 10 in the second unofficial Test match against Australia A, which the home team won by six wickets. 

Rahul has scored 2981 runs in 53 Test matches at a below-par average of 33.88.

“It’s not like KL Rahul as an opening option is setting the stage on fire. Going by the reality, KL Rahul currently you can see, you’ve got to feel for him, I love him as a player the kind of talent he has. He looks a bit down on confidence and you don’t want someone like him batting at the top of the order because much of the tempo of the innings is set at the start number 1,2 and 3,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo.

Manjrekar reckons India would be to get the best out of KL Rahul if he bats with the tailenders in the lower middle-order.

“I’m going by KL Rahul for the work he’s done down the order and very recently in South Africa. He was batting at number six with a softer Kookaburra ball and if he has to bat with the tailenders, I feel he will be terrific where he’s got the big game as well. So I see KL better used and more chances of KL Rahul adding value to the team at that position,” Manjrekar said in the same interview.

On the other hand, India can also open with Abhimanyu Easwaran in the opening Test. Easwaran registered scores of 0 and 17 in the second unofficial Test against Australia A. In the opening Test against Australia A, Easwaran was dismissed after scoring 7 and 12.