KL Rahul's form has been one of the biggest talking points in the lead-up to India's all-important T20 World Cup Super 12 Group 2 match against Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday. The India opener has just not been himself in the tournament so far. He dragged one onto his stumps for 4 against Pakistan, was out LBW for 9 against the Netherlands and guided one to the slips for the same score against South Africa. The fact that he has got out on all three occasions while defending, will keep the Indian think tank on their toes.
Ahead of the match against Bangladesh, former India head coach Ravi Shastri said India will be forced to think of other options if Rahul doesn't score runs on Tuesday. Notably, India don't have any designated opener in their squad other than Rohit Sharma and Rahul. Before the tournament, Rohit had confirmed that Virat Kohli will be India's third opener and if needed Rishabh Pant can also be promoted up the order.
Also Read | ‘KL Rahul doesn’t believe in himself': Gavaskar's hard-hitting assessment
"He needs to get some runs, he needs to spend time. Perhaps tactically change his game. Sometimes on pitches that offer extra bounce, you might have to shift gears, adapt to conditions, give yourself 8 balls, exactly what Virat did against Pakistan and also against. He's such a fluent player, it'll come back. If he has another off-day, they might have to think otherwise," Shastri said on Star Sports.
India head coach Rahul Dravid, however, showed his backing for the India vice-captain. "We don't get swayed by what is said outside.
{{/usCountry}}India head coach Rahul Dravid, however, showed his backing for the India vice-captain. "We don't get swayed by what is said outside.
{{/usCountry}}"We have the confidence and belief in our players, especially in this T20 format, which is such a high-risk format that you are asking people to play a high-risk brand of cricket."
An elegant top-order batsman, Rahul has played 43 Tests, 45 one-dayers and 69 T20 matches for India since making his five-day debut in 2014.
He averages just under 38 in the T20 format with a strike rate of 138.75 and Dravid said: "He is suited for these conditions, these pitches."