Gautam Gambhir Backs KL Rahul; Lashes Out At His Critics
Gautam Gambhir with KL Rahul [Source: Twitter]
Under-fire Indian opener KL Rahul has received backing from former India batter Gautam Gambhir amidst calls for his removal from the Test side.
Rahul has managed just 38 runs in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, apart from flopping in earlier series against Bangladesh and South Africa last year.
Speaking to Sports Tak, Gambhir, who works closely with KL as a mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants, said that people criticising the latter's form know nothing about international cricket.
Former India players Aakash Chopra and Venkatesh Prasad have been embroiled in a social-media spat over Rahul's place in the XI.
Here's what Gambhir explained
"People who are talking about KL Rahul don’t know how tough international cricket is. I believe when a player is not performing he needs more backing compared when he is playing well. Name one player who has scored runs from beginning to end. Everyone has faced that phase and you should back the talent."
The 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup winner gave the example of current India captain Rohit Sharma, whose Test career bloomed quite late when he started opening the batting in 2019.
While being dropped as vice-captain for the remainder of the BGT, Rahul has the backing of the team management.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that Shubman Gill could play the third Test in Indore, which begins on March 1.
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