"What He Needs To Aspire Is...": Ex-India Star's Honest Take On KL Rahul

02.01.2024 - 17:43 sports.ndtv.com

Despite being critical of him in the past, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad was full of praise for KL Rahul, saying that the wicketkeeper-batter enjoyed playing ODI cricket in 2023.

Rahul finished 2023 with 1203 runs in 30 matches across all formats for India, and finished the year on a high with a century in the first innings of the 1st Test against South Africa in Centurion.

The batter also played a crucial role in India's journey to the World Test Championship and World Cup finals. Prasad, who has been critical of Rahul in the past for his inconsistent performances, feels the player should also stake his authority when it comes to Test cricket. "He has had a great year in one day cricket and in his comeback test in centurion played a wonderful knock in the first innings.

Happy for him. Consistency in Test Cricket and realising his true potential is what he needs to aspire for imho," Prasad wrote on X (formerly Twitter) while responding to fan's query.

cricket India Cricket Team South Africa vs India on Star Sports Sunil Gavaskar Kl Rahul South Africa India county Park

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has warned England regarding the form of star batter Virat Kohli ahead of a five-match Test series, starting January 25. Irfan feels Kohli is back to his best, having shown great composure during the Test series against South Africa recently. The former India captain fought a lone battle in the first Test in December 2023, but the visitors lost the game by a hefty margin. He also scored a 46 on a trick pitch in the second Test which ended inside two days in Cape Town.

"You Cannot Sign Him Off": Ex-India Star Prefers Sanju Samson Over KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant

Former India star Suresh Raina backed Sanju Samson as his leading choice for the wicketkeeper-batter role and called the Kerala player the X-Factor. It is worth noting that Samson and Jitesh Sharma have been included as wicketkeeper-batters in India's squad for three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Ishan Kishan is not a part of the series as he has asked for rest. Meanwhile, the team management has given no clarity on the absence of KL Rahul, who has cemented his place as wicketkeeper-batter in ODI cricket.

Virat Kohli Gears Up For 1st T20I In 14 Months But Should Not Open With Rohit Sharma. Ex-India Star Explains Why

Former Indian cricket team wicket-keeper Saba Karim believes that Virat Kohli should not open the batting with Rohit Sharma in the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan. India defeated Afghanistan in the first T20I encounter in Mohali on Thursday but Kohli did not play the game due to 'personal reasons'. However, the star batter will be back for the second game and there were rumours that he can become Rohit's opening partner. Saba said that India will need Kohli to play a crucial role at No. 3 in the T20 World Cup and considering the pitches in West Indies, Kohli should stick to his familiar role.

"Shubman Gill Should Have Just...": Ex India Star's Blunt Verdict On Rohit Sharma Run-Out During Afghanistan T20I

India defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in the first T20I encounter in Mohali on Thursday but it was not without controversies as skipper Rohit Sharma was left frustrated after he was dismissed for a duck following a mix-up with opening partner Shubman Gill. Rohit played a delivery from Fazalhaq Farooqi to mid-off and called for a single. However, Gill was watching the ball and did not move resulting in Rohit getting run-out without scoring a single run. The veteran batter was clearly livid at the situation and he was even seen gesturing his frustration to Gill. Former India wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel supported Rohit and said that Gill should have trusted his skipper's call and gone for the single.

Watch: Fans Try To Touch KL Rahul's Feet. Here's What Happened Next

KL Rahul had a good outing in the recently concluded Test series against South Africa with a hard-fought century in Centurion but the wicket-keeper batter was not included for the T20I series against Afghanistan starting Thursday. With the T20 World Cup 2024 just round the corner, Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson were given a chance to show their mettle on the international stage. In a video doing the rounds on social media, Rahul was seen coming out of a restaurant when he was mobbed by some of his fans. Two of the fans tried to touch his feet but Rahul stopped them and took pictures with them instead.

"Rinku Singh Will Miss Out": Ex India Star On Repercussions Of Kohli, Rohit's Surprise T20I Return

The return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to India's T20I squad for the series against Afghanistan hasn't fully buried the questions surrounding their future in the shortest format but triggered a few more about the Indian team's plans for the T20 World Cup 2024. Former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta admitted that he was surprised to see Kohli and Rohit being recalled in the T20I format, having the belief that the management has moved on from them. But their return brings the story back to square one for Dasgupta.