"Can't Bench KL Rahul": BCCI Warned Over Dropping India Star "After One Test"

23.10.2024 - 18:43 sports.ndtv.com

India's shocking loss against New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru raised many questions on the team's strategy. The match was cut short to four days as the first day got washed out due to rain.

In the remaining days, the Kiwis outplayed India in all the departments and claimed a historic eight-wicket win, which also turned out to be their first victory on the Indian soil since 1988.

After the loss, criticism from the fans and cricket experts started to haunt the Indian players. A particular set of criticism was targetted towards KL Rahul, who miserably failed to leave a mark in the match.

In both the innings, Rahul registered poor scores of 0 and 12 and could not live up to the expectations. As batter Sarfaraz Khan, who came in as a replacement of an injured Shubman Gill, scored a promising 150, many fans and experts demanded Rahul to be dropped on the return of Gill in the second Test.

cricket India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team India vs New Zealand 2024 Kl Rahul Australia New Zealand India

Teams are currently finalising their player retention list ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, expected to be held next month. The IPL governing council has set October 31 as the deadline for the teams to submit their list. Ahead of the deadline, rumours have started floating on who the teams might keep heading into the IPL 2025 mega auction. With only a handful of days remaining for the deadline, let's take a look at five retention rumours that have been floating on social media:

"There Will Be Cracks In Team": Ex-India Star's Blunt Warning After Pune Test Loss

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has criticised captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir after the Test series loss to New Zealand on Saturday. Rohit and co's loss to the Kiwis in the second Pune Test marked the end of an 18-series winning streak at home for Team India. Following the embarrassing loss, Rohit and Gambhir have come under the scanner for their approach and team selection. During a discussion, Tiwary warned Rohit and Gambhir of "cracks in the dressing room."

Not KL Rahul. Report Reveals Lucknow Super Giants Set To Use RTM On This 35-Year-Old Star

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to mutually part ways with captain KL Rahul ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. The IPL governing council has set October 31 as the deadline for teams to submit their list of retained and released players from the current squad. According to a report in Cricbuzz, Rahul has expressed his desire to leave LSG after his request to bat in the middle-order was declined by the management owing to composition and dynamics.

"Top 5 Batters...": Ex India Star Tears Into Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Others After Pune Test Loss

Former cricketer Madan Lal opened up on India's defeat to New Zealand in the second Test match of the series and said that Rishabh Pant's run out on Day 3 was the turning point of the game. Tom Latham's New Zealand team made history by defeating Rohit's side by 113 runs in the second Test match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday, clinching their first-ever series win in India. This loss marks India's first home Test series defeat since 2012, ending an 18-series winning streak--the longest home winning sequence for any team.

"Don't Talk About Australia Now": Sunil Gavaskar Schools Ex-India Star During 2nd Test vs New Zealand

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team are in a dire strait in the Test series against New Zealand. After having lost the first Test in Bengaluru, the second Test Test in Pune too hasn't brought any good news for the hosts. New Zealand have taken a huge lead in the third innings and saving the match will be quite a task for India. In the midst of this former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has aksed all to focus on the current series rather than on the India vs Australia Test series that starts on November 22.

KL Rahul To Reject LSG? New Report Reveals Stunning Twist Ahead Of IPL 2025 Retentions

In another twist to the tale, it is being reported that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul is himself unsure about whether he would accept a retention offer made by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. So far, it had been reported that KL Rahul was set to be axed from the franchise's auction retention list, courtesy of a joint decision taken by head coach Justin Langer and mentor Zaheer Khan. However, a contradictory report has now emerged.