It will be hard for KL Rahul to avoid scathing criticism for his prolonged slump due to the huge expectations attached to the job, especially when previous cricketers have set high standards, says former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Stripped of vice-captain, Rahul has not crossed the 25-race mark in his last 10 Test strokes. An average of less than 35 in 47 tests is not a real realization of his true potential.
“When you don’t score runs in India, you obviously get criticism. KL Rahul has not been the only one. There have been players in the past as well,” Ganguly told PTI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of Delhi Capitals. IPL pre-season camp.
Ganguly tried to put things into perspective as to why the Bengaluru man persists despite repeated failures.
“There is so much focus and attention with a lot of pressure on the players. The team management thinks he is an important player for the team. At the end of the day, what the manager and the captain think is important,” said the 113 Test veteran and 311. said ODI.
While Rahul has played some quality shots in England and Australia, Ganguly said it’s obvious people will expect a lot more from a talented player like Rahul, who has only managed five Test hundreds in nine years.
“He has performed but obviously you expect a lot more from a top batsman playing for India because the standards set by others are so high.
“When you miss for a while, obviously there will be criticism. I’m sure Rahul has ability and I’m sure when he gets more chances, he’ll have to find ways to score,” he explained.
So is Rahul’s problem technical or mental? “Both”, comes the answer.
But the former BCCI president also gave an interesting perspective on Rahul’s lack of racing as of late he is dating both pacers and spinners in all conditions.
“It also makes it more difficult if you play on these types of fields, as the balls spin and bounce. There are uneven bounces and when you’re not in shape, it makes it even more difficult.”
shubman has to wait
There has been a clamor to include Shubman Gill in the playing XI, but Ganguly feels the Punjab man will have his share of opportunities and it’s okay if he has to wait a bit.
But what do you say to a Shubman, who has to cool down when he’s red hot? “I am sure that when his time comes, he will also have many opportunities. I think the selectors, the captain and the coach think of him and rate him highly. That’s why he’s playing ODI and T20I, and he’s done it. also.
“But at this point, perhaps a message from the team management is that it has to wait.” While India have posted victories in both Tests, top-order batsmen except Rohit Sharma have been flattered by cheating with none getting fifty.
Does the concept of dominant hitters vs. spinners sound too foreign these days? “I don’t think so. These are very tough turf. I saw him in the first two tests and he’s not an easy boss. Playing with Ashwin, Jadeja, Lyon and new guy Todd Murphy, it’s never easy when the odd ball turns square. There is a difference in level, everything is happening for the spinners.”
This is not Steve Waugh’s team
India have won two Test matches in a cumulative span of five days of cricket and Ganguly is not surprised.
“India is a different beast in India. They’re a pretty good team overall, but in India they’re pretty hard to beat. When it starts to change, they’re a better team than any other,” he was curt in his reply.
Is the 4-0 scoreline a real possibility for India? “I think so. I don’t know how Australia can stop it,” he was practical in assessing Australia’s performance.
“The problem is we keep comparing this Australian team to teams from the past and it’s not the same. You don’t have Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Steve and Mark Waugh, (Adam) Gilchrist, your name. They don’t have that quality.
“Steve Smith is a great player. (David) Warner hasn’t gotten going, (Marnus) Labuschagne is a good player, but these are tough conditions for him too.
“The mistake we make with Australian teams is that we think they are Steve Waugh’s Australia, but that’s not the case. Different players are evaluated differently under different conditions.”
I have been in contact with Pant
Ganguly is the Director of Cricket for the Delhi Capitals and one of the toughest challenges for him is to fill the void created due to the unavailability of Rishabh Pant who suffered a terrible accident and underwent surgery recently.
“I spoke to him a couple of times. He’s obviously going through a difficult period, with injuries and surgeries, and I wish him the best. In a year or a couple of years, he’ll be playing for India again,” the voice of Ganguly had a hint of sadness when talking about a player he has loved a lot.
Would you like to see Pant be with the team for some time during the IPL, which might also help him in his recovery?
“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Ganguly said.
DC has yet to announce Pant’s replacement and Ganguly has yet to decide who is better between young Turk Abhishek Porel and national veteran Sheldon Jackson.
“We still need a bit of time to find out. The next camp starts before the IPL.” While David Warner is set to lead DC, Axar Patel will be deputizing for him this season.
Ganguly oversaw a three day camp in Kolkata attended by the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Ishant Sharma, Chetan Sakariya, Manish Pandey along with other national players.
“IPL is still a month away and the season has just started. It’s hard to get all the players together because of the amount of cricket they play. There are four or five who are playing the Irani Trophy. Sarfaraz has an injured finger and is not a broken finger. It should be fine for the IPL,” he concluded.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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