After his failure to replicate the success of Perth in Adelaide, there were growing calls of dropping K L Rahul back to No.6, but the Karnataka right-hander continued to enjoy the backing of the team management, and walked out as the opener at the Gabba.
India’s Test stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara has voiced his support for KL Rahul to retain his place at the top of the order, even suggesting that Rohit Sharma could move down to No.3 to accommodate him for the day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval, starting December 6.
Putting behind the batting blues of the opening day, India came back strongly to gain firm control over the Perth Test against Australia with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul taking the first-innings lead of 46 - earned through a Jasprit Bumrah fifer - and stretched it past 200 by the end of the second day’s play at the Optus Stadium on Saturday.
In what comes as welcome news for India in their build-up to the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test starting on November 22, KL Rahul returned to batting during the team's training session at the WACA Stadium on Sunday.
Star batter K L Rahul was forced to retire hurt after being hit by a rising delivery from Prasidh Krishna during the team’s intra-squad match simulation at the WACA in Perth on Friday.
KL Rahul, who missed the last four Tests of the five-match series against England after suffering a quadriceps injury following the first Test in Hyderabad, is also set for a return, replacing Sarfaraz.
Rahul, who no longer remains in the scheme of things as far as India’s T20 format is concerned, joined LSG in 2022 and led the side to playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
While Mumbai Indians were knocked out of the playoffs race long back, Lucknow Super Giants’ chances of making the last-four are hung by a thread even if they win their last league stage game here by a huge margin.
Besides Rahul, his opening partner Quinton De Kock’s poor form this season has also hampered LSG’s cause.
All eyes will be on KL Rahul as he gears up to lead the struggling Lucknow Super Giants in their desperate bid to reach the IPL playoffs when they take on an equally inconsistent Delhi Capitals in a must-win game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital on Tuesday.
