KL Rahul’s Temperament Criticized After Poor Performance in Test

Team India’s batting line-up experienced difficulties during the first innings of the opening Test match against Bangladesh, played on Thursday. The team found themselves struggling at 37/3 soon after being asked to bat first under overcast skies in Chennai. Despite efforts by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 56, and Rishabh Pant, who added 39, India continued to face challenges as the day’s play progressed.

After Pant’s exit, India’s batting order faltered once more. Their position weakened further following the dismissal of KL Rahul for a low score of 16, leaving them precarious at 144/6. However, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja displayed excellent counter-attacking skills, guiding India to a stronger position of 339/6 by the end of the day’s play.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar offered critical remarks about KL Rahul’s recurring issues with temperament, particularly after his performance in Chennai. Despite making a return to the Test squad after missing the series against England, Rahul seemed unable to adapt to the difficult pitch conditions. Manjrekar commented on Rahul’s inconsistency, suggesting it is a familiar problem that has followed him throughout his cricketing career.

Manjrekar observed that although Rahul delivered an impressive 86 in his previous Test against England, he did not appear comfortable in the net against Bangladesh. “It is amazing how Rahul plays brilliantly in one innings, yet in the following games, he appears lost,” Manjrekar shared in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. He further noted that Rahul has occasionally scored impressively in challenging conditions, yet his average tells a story of temperamental issues.

As the second day of the Test commenced, India experienced another setback when Jadeja was dismissed without adding to his score of 86. In his stead, Akash Deep joined Ashwin at the crease. By the time of writing, India stood at 366/7 in 88 overs, with Ashwin continuing to anchor the batting.