Published 13:46 IST, November 2nd 2022
Ex-India coach Ravi Shastri fires ominous warning to Rahul: 'If he has another off-day..'
Ravi Shastri was of the opinion that KL Rahul getting amongst the runs will be beneficial for the team and not put too much pressure on the middle order.
KL Rahul is not having the best of the T20 World Cup 2022 so far having failed to register a single double-digit score so far. The loss of form is certainly a big worry for Team India but the team management is still backing the opener to come good. With fingers being pointed towards the poor form, KL Rahul will look to come good against Bangladesh and silence his critics. Former India coach Ravi Shastri has also voiced his opinion on KL Rahul's form and has backed the opener to come good with the bat soon.
Ravi Shastri wants consistency from Team India's top order
Team India skipper Rohit Shama has got starts but failed to convert them into big scores, while KL Rahul has been unable to get going putting pressure on middle order to score runs. Speaking on ICC's 'The Big Time Preview', Ravi Shastri was of the opinion that KL Rahul getting amongst the runs will be beneficial for the team and not put too much pressure on the middle order. He said, "You need some more consistency from the top. KL Rahul getting some runs will help because you can't keep putting the pressure on the middle order."
Ahead of the India vs Bangladesh match, Team India coach Rahul Dravid also admitted that he is well aware of the impact Rahul can have while saying there are no doubts about who will open the batting for India. He said, "I think he is a fantastic player, he has got a proven track record. He has done really well, I thought he has been batting superbly. These things can happen in a 20-20 game, sometimes it's not that easy for a sort of top-order batsman. This tournament has been pretty challenging. I thought he was superb in the practice game against Australia, with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. It was a good pretty good attack and I thought he batted superbly that day to get 60."
Dravid further said, “So, he is actually playing really well. I am just hoping it all clicks together over the next 3-4 games. We know his quality and his ability and he is really well suited for these kinds of conditions, and pitches. He has got a good all-round game, he has got a good backfoot game, which is obviously very much required in these conditions. We are pretty confident, we are happy with the way he is hitting it,”.
KL Rahul gets batting tips from Virat Kohli
The rain gods had not been kind enough to Team India before India vs Bangladesh match with Men in Blue being forced to have indoor training sessions. During the practice, Kohli was seen keenly watching Rahul's batting in the nets and then spent considerable time dissecting his technique with coach Dravid.
Kohli was seen telling Rahul that his trigger movement was taking his front foot towards off stump and his body weight being transferred forward. That could make him a candidate for played-on, caught behind, or leg before dismissal. The former skipper advised Rahul to maintain still body position, and rather than moving across, just open the front foot, pointing towards the bowler. That would help him to come to the front foot or go back without premeditated commitment.
Updated 13:49 IST, November 2nd 2022