KL Rahul had a disappointing outing at his home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, scoring a duck and just 12 runs in India’s eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the series opener.
This performance continues a troubling trend, as the wicketkeeper-batter has recorded only three half-centuries in his last 20 Test innings.
Although the 32-year-old seemed to secure his place in the team with a century on a challenging pitch in Centurion against South Africa last December, an injury during the summer caused him to miss four home Tests against England.
This opened the door for Sarfaraz Khan, who seized his chance with three half-centuries in his first three Tests and a standout 150 in his third innings in Bengaluru, ensuring his inclusion in the Indian lineup for Pune.
As a result, Sarfaraz will take the number five spot, while Shubman Gill returns to his number three position and Virat Kohli reclaims his favored number four spot, which Sarfaraz occupied in the last match.
Rahul has played 53 Tests, amassing 2,981 runs at an average of 33.87. Most of his career has been spent as an opener, but recent years have seen him shift to the middle order following Yashasvi Jaiswal’s emergence.
— alex (@AlexHivklzzyh) October 24, 2024
He also filled in as wicketkeeper for Rishabh Pant in two Tests against South Africa, but has struggled to maintain consistency, averaging under 40 even in home conditions.