KL Rahul's gets out cheaply again; Twitter flooded with memes, fans slam opener

KL Rahul got out for another low score on Sunday as his horrid form in Test cricket continued. With India needing 115 to win the Delhi Test and take a 2-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rahul got out for 1 off 3 balls with spinner Nathan Lyon getting him caught behind.

So far in two matches of the series against Australia, the Indian opener has scored just 38 runs in three innings while in six Tests since the start of 2022, Rahul has amassed just 175 runs in 11 innings.

With Shubman Gill being in top form in ODIs and T20Is and having scored his maiden Test ton in Bangladesh in December, there are high chances that the opener from Punjab will replace Rahul at the top of the order in the third Test against Australia which is scheduled to be played in Indore from 1 March.

Rahul has already been facing a lot of criticism including from former India pace Venkatesh Prasad who has been asking for him to be dropped from the Test side. After Rahul got out for 17 in the first innings of the Delhi Test, Prasad wrote a long thread on Twitter attacking the opener and his selection.

“And the torrid run continues. More to do with the rigidity of the management to persist with a player who just hasn’t looked the part. No top-order batsman in at least the last 20 years of Indian cricket has played these many tests with such a low average,” Prasad tweeted.

deliberately denying talented guys, in form guys an opportunity to be in the 11.
Shikhar had a test avg of 40+ , Mayank has of 41+ with 2 double hundreds, Shubhman Gill in sublime form, Sarfaraz never ending wait.. Many domestic performances constantly ignored. His inclusion is…

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) February 18, 2023

As per me ,he is currently not amongst the current 10 best opener’s in India but is being given endless chances. Guys like Kuldeep Yadav put in man of the match performances and next game are dropped with theories like Horses for courses. In any course ,KL is not a horse. Sad

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) February 18, 2023

“His inclusion deliberately denies talented guys, in form guys an opportunity to be in the 11. Shikhar had a test average of 40 plus, Mayank averages more than 41 with two double hundreds, Shubhman Gill is in sublime form and Sarfaraz’s never-ending wait. Many domestic performances are constantly ignored. His inclusion shakes belief in Justice. SS Das had great potential, and so did S Ramesh. Both averaged 38 but did not get beyond 23 Test matches. Rahul’s consistent inclusion gives the impression of a lack of batting talent in India which isn’t true. Last 5 years his average has been below 27 in 47 innings.

“As per me, he is currently not amongst the current 10 best openers’ in India but is being given endless chances. Guys like Kuldeep Yadav put in man of the match performances and the next game are dropped with theories like Horses for courses. In any course, KL is not a horse. Sad.”

Rahul’s latest low score outing led to more criticism on Twitter and some hilarious tweets and memes. Some users also asked for Gill to replace Rahul in Indore.

Just In: Venkatesh Prasad has reached @PMOIndia to discuss the future of KL Rahul pic.twitter.com/wZmCCMd4kS

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) February 19, 2023

If you still don’t drop KL Rahul, you are not insulting the fans but KL Rahul himself.
As it would be an open admission that his selection is not based on his performance but pure favouritism. #KLRahul

— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) February 19, 2023

KL Rahul in every Big Match