Ex-Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad is expressing outrage over the persistent support of the team management for vice-captain KL Rahul despite his lack of performance. Prasad made these remarks after India secured a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series against Australia, due to exceptional showings from Indian spin bowlers Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin.
However, the pressure was immense for KL Rahul as his batting performance had been underwhelming. This trend continued as he only managed to score 20 runs against Australia. This led Venkatesh Prasad to become incensed about Rahul’s selection and he stated that there are other batters with stronger records who are being ignored while the team management continuously supports KL Rahul.
“Despite my admiration for KL Rahul’s skill and potential, his recent performance has been disappointing,” tweeted Prasad. “An average of 34 after 46 tests and over 8 years in international cricket is mediocre. It’s rare for someone to receive so many opportunities,” he added.
In addition, the former Indian cricketer named Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan as potential alternatives. “Some players are fortunate enough to receive endless opportunities until they succeed while others are not given the same chance,” said Prasad. “To make the situation even more frustrating, Rahul holds the title of vice-captain. I believe someone like Ashwin, who possesses a brilliant cricket mind, should be the vice-captain in the Test format. If not Ashwin, then it should be Pujara or Jadeja. Mayank Agarwal and Vihari both made a greater impact in Tests compared to Rahul,” he added.
Prasad also alleged that Rahul’s selection is based on favoritism and that he has been “inconsistently consistent” despite playing for over 8 years. According to Prasad, many retired cricketers remain silent about KL Rahul’s poor performance out of fear of losing IPL contracts, as Rahul is the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants IPL team.
“They don’t want to offend the captain of a franchise, as many people today prefer those who blindly agree with them. In the past, friends were often your harshest critics, but now people shy away from the truth,” said Prasad.