KL Rahul raises his bat after scoring a crucial fifty against Australia in the first ODI (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Salman Butt feels the BCCI selectors are to be blamed for backing an out of KL Rahul despite having Shubman Gill in the squad
KL Rahul silenced his critics in style with an unbeaten 75-run knock that helped Team India beat Australia by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing ODI series. During the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023, Rahul’s form had been questioned and the former Indian vice-captain was left out of India’s playing XI for the final two matches of the Test series.
However, the 30-year-old responded in stunning fashion, helping his side recover from a precarious position after the hosts were reduced to 39/4 while chasing Australia’s target of 189 runs.
Rahul struggled to score runs with the bat and was bullied by fans and pundits alike. However, after playing a crucial knock the right-hand batter has boosted his chances of playing in the final of the World Test Championship in June.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt however feels that the BCCI’s decision to stick with Rahul through his lean patch left him exposed.
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Butt added that instead of playing someone like Shubman Gill, who did eventually replace Rahul for the final two Test matches, BCCI were responsible for the latter’s struggles.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said that the selectors should be blamed for backing an out-of-form KL Rahul despite having Shubman in the squad.
“KL Rahul was criticized a lot during his lean patch. I believe that India’s selection committee is to blame for Rahul’s criticism. They kept on playing him consistently, even though he was out of form. They exposed him by doing so, despite having an in-form player like Shubman Gill in the squad,” said Butt.
“Yes, you need to give confidence to your players, but it can also be done through communication, and you can save them from unnecessary criticism,” the veteran added.
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While Gill scored a century in the fourth Test the opener struggled in the first ODI against Australia in Mumbai. His partner Ishan Kishan also failed to leave an impact while Kishan is expected to be on the bench, with regular captain Rohit Sharma set to return after missing the series opener due to personal reasons.
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