Cricket News: India won the second Test against Bangladesh by a razor-thin margin, giving the visitors an exhilarating series triumph. KL Rahul, the acting captain, had another forgettable series, extending his dismal red-ball cricket batting record for the year. With Shubman Gill banging on the door, veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik believes that time is running out for the fashionable opener.
The Indian opener has consistently played for the first team in all game formats, but Dinesh Karthik claims that his batting performance in the longer format is not up to par. After playing 40 or so Tests, Karthik believes that an Indian opener shouldn’t be averaging in the mid-30s.
“I’d give KL those two Test matches, but if things don’t work out for KL Rahul… The one thing working against him is that despite playing in over 40 Tests, his average score is only in the mid-30s. That is inappropriate for an opening. That is undoubtedly one of the lowest among Indian players who have participated in 35 Test matches,” according to Karthik in an interview with Cricbuzz.
Rahul must score several hundred to defeat Australia: Karthik Dinesh
In February of the next year, the Indian squad would compete against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, when valuable WTC points will be on the line. Karthik predicted that KL Rahul will be motivated to increase his batting average, but if he underperforms in the pivotal Test series against Australia, the young Shubman Gill should take his place in the starting lineup. The seasoned cricketer believes that Rahul needs to boost his self-esteem by scoring a few hundred in the forthcoming Test series, which will be India’s final Test match of the current WTC cycle.
“There is no doubt that he needs to improve that. He’ll be considering that. He must score several hundred against Australia if he wants to guarantee his spot in the Test lineup. However, with Shubman Gill performing so well, you can clearly notice a change,” he added.
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