Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has opened up about whether KL Rahul will feature in the third Test against Australia or not. He said that since the VC tag is not there with the batter, Shubman Gill could be in line to open alongside Rohit Sharma for the Indore Test.
“That ‘VC’ tag is not there,” Harbhajan Singh feels it’ll be tough for KL Rahul to make it into the playing XI for the third Test
India is currently locking horns with Australia in the four-match Test series. The gusts are leading the series 2-0 with two games to go. BCCI have retained the same squad for the final two Tests.
But one of the main noticeable things in the squad is that no vice-captain has been named for the team for the last two Tests. It’s just an indication that the team has sacked Rahul as the vice-captain of the team.
Rahul has come under a lot of scrutinies for his torrid run in Test cricket. A lot of eyebrows were raised when he started the series. But it was expected that he would give a befitting reply to all the critics. But it didn’t happen as he failed in the first game, scoring just 20 runs.
There is a view that KL Rahul has an outstanding overseas Test record. But stats speak otherwise. He has a test avg of 30 overseas in 56 innings. He has scored 6 overseas centuries but followed it up with a string of low scores that’s why averaging 30. Let’s look at a few others pic.twitter.com/MAvHM01TcY
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) February 20, 2023
Advertisement
Rahul got the backing of the team management in the second game as well but the same story continued for him as he yet again failed and managed just 18 runs across two innings. With him having a poor average of just 33 in over 45 games, it’s fair to say that the future doesn’t look good for him.
There have been a lot of speculations about whether the batter will play the third game or not. Harbhajan Singh has shared his opinion on the same. He feels that Rahul no longer has the vice-captain tag ahead of him and therefore can be easily dropped. Speaking to India Today, he said:
“Well, I guess so (if Rahul would be dropped), because when you’re not the vice-captain, it becomes easier for the management and selectors to make you sit out. Once you’re a vice-captain, no matter what sort of performances you have given, you’re still featured in the playing XI. But now, that ‘VC’ tag is not there.” He said.
“The vc tag is not there, which means we will see Shubman Gill opening with Rohit Sharma,” says Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh further opined that although Rahul is a quality player but is going through a lean patch. He added that since the ‘VC’ tag is not there, Shubman Gill might open with skipper Rohit Sharma. He elaborated:
“With KL Rahul, you know he’s a quality player who’s going through a dry patch where he is not scoring runs. We all know that. But I’m sure he will come good with the bat. But yes, the vc tag is not there, which means we will see Shubman Gill opening with Rohit Sharma.”
The third Test between India and Australia will be played from 1st to 5th March in Indore. It remains to be seen if Rahul retains his place in the side or not.
