'Shubman deserves to be playing': KL Rahul's selection in IND vs AUS 2nd Test angers fans

Team India youngster Shubman Gill was yet again left out of the playing XI, as India took the field against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi for the India vs Australia, 2nd Test match. KL Rahul retained his place in the XI, while India brought in Shreyas Iyer as a replacement for star batsman Suryakumar Yadav. Shubman Gill’s snub became the talk of the town for the Indian cricketing fans, who argued the opener is in too good of form to be left out.

“Will Indian team's decision to give KL Rahul a chance in place of Shubman Gill prove to be correct? And will Kl Rahul be able to do something different in this match..will he prove his captain's decision right?,” a fan wrote on Twitter. Another fan reacted to the same and said, “Once again #TeamIndia decide to ignore @ShubmanGill favouring @klrahul who had been totally out of touch since debut. Why he is favoured as much is anyone’s guess”.

A look at Shubman Gill and KL Rahul's recent form

Shubman Gill made his Test debut for India in Australia in 2020 and has now become a regular in the Indian red-ball squad. He scored his maiden Test century for India in the previous series against Bangladesh in 2022. After playing 13 Test matches for India, Gill’s tally of runs stand at 736 runs in 25 innings at an average of 32.00. He has also hit four half-centuries so far in his career.

On the other hand, KL Rahul has been finding it tough to find form across formats for India. Rahul’s last Test century came in December 2021 against South Africa, while he hit his last fifty in January 2022. Heading into the second Test against Australia, KL has not crossed the 30-run mark in his last eight Test innings.