Gambhir backs KL Rahul to come good

NEW DELHI: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels that it is a tad unfair to single out KL Rahul for scathing criticism as every player goes through lean phases in their respective careers.

In his last 10 Test innings, Rahul has averaged a dismal 12.5 with not a single score above 25. His sequence of scores read 8, 10, 12, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, 17 and 1, raising questions about his place in the playing XI. There are strong calls to induct Shubman Gill into playing XI.

“KL Rahul should not be dropped from the Indian side. One should not single out any player. Everyone goes through a lean patch. No one, no cricket pundit or anyone should tell him that he is not doing well and be dropped,” Gambhir said during an interaction on the sidelines of IPL pre-season camp organised by Lucknow Super Giants.

Gambhir is the mentor of LSG and Rahul is the skipper of the same franchise.

The two-time IPL champion also cited current India captain Rohit Sharma’s example of how he was backed to the hilt by the erstwhile team management so that he is successful in Test cricket. Once Rohit started opening, things looked up for him in traditional format. “You have to back players who have talent. Look at Rohit Sharma. He also had a lean patch. Look at the way he started his career. He had a late flourish. Everyone could see his talent and backed him. Now see the result. He is going great guns. Rahul can do the same,” Gambhir said.