NEW DELHI: Ahead of the second Test, there was a lot of debate on out-of-form KL Rahul and in-form Sarfaraz Khan for a spot in the Playing XI for the fixture in Pune. After India’s loss in the opening Test in Bengaluru, the key question was who should be picked for the next match — KL Rahul or Sarfaraz?
At the toss in Pune, Rohit revealed the three changes in India XI and ended the KL Rahul vs Sarfaraz debate by picking Sarfaraz over the Karnataka batter.Along with Sarfaraz, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep were also brought in while KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav were dropped.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that time is running out for KL Rahul, who has struggled in red-ball cricket recently.
“Of course, the pressure is building because of his form. It is also unfair to start judging a player or to start picking or dropping him based on a single performance. He hasn’t really been very good in the last 8 or 10 Test matches. That’s also a fact. So, time is running out,” Chopra said in a select media interaction.
KL Rahul (BCCI Photo)
Chopra, who played 10 Tests for India between 2003 and 2004, is currently an expert with JioCinema and Sports18 for the India vs New Zealand series. The former India batter also highlighted that Sarfaraz’s consistent run-scoring has increased the pressure on KL Rahul.
Since making his debut against England in Rajkot earlier this year, Sarfaraz has played four Tests, scoring 350 runs at an impressive average of 58.33, including three half-centuries and a century.
“Sarfaraz has already scored 150 in the last Test match. That pressure is also there on KL Rahul. The team also knows that KL Rahul is basically an opener, but he has been pushed up and down the order way too many times. It is not fair for someone to always be in the line of fire and asked to adjust. But, yes, the team is backing him, but in the end, it’s all about scoring runs. So, there will be pressure on KL Rahul now. There’s no doubt about it,” Chopra added.
