India vs Australia: KL Rahul's selection for Sydney Test a backward step; he will be better served in taking time off cricket

The last time he was drafted in to play a Test when an opener reported injured ahead of a match, KL Rahul scored a century. His 108 against Sri Lanka in Colombo’s P Saravanamuttu Stadium in August 2015 helped the Indian team overcome the loss of the opening Test on that tour and level the series. There was no such luck this time. A sixth single-digit score was inflicted on him in the eight innings he has played since making a grand 149 against England at The Oval. His tame dismissal to a catch in the first slip in just the second over invited a volley of questions and criticism. And, to make things worse, left him disappointed with himself and riddled with doubts. [caption id=“attachment_5633611” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of KL Rahul. Reuters[/caption] The Indian team should have considered asking left-handed Parthiv Patel to open the innings with Mayank Agarwal. Or, continued with Hanuma Vihari at the top of the order and picked Hardik Pandya to bat in the middle-order. It was quite predictable in giving Rahul another crack at the Australian attack. Instead, it was the Australians who had a crack at him. It was not always like this. He hit six half-centuries in seven innings in four home Tests against Australia in 2017. Rahul had produced scores of 50 or more in 15 of his first 30 Test innings and exuded confidence, not only from discovering his mojo in all three formats but also from the faith that captain Virat Kohli, the coaching staff and selectors appear to have vested in him. Of course, the thinktank’s faith in his striking skills could be the result of the impact he could make. And in how he could be backed to be a game changer. That has meant that Rahul has played more Tests in the past four years than either Murali Vijay or the left-handed Shikhar Dhawan despite having a worse average (35.27) than their 36.84 and 42.22 respectively. In the last 26 innings in 15 Tests, he passed the half-century mark only three times. Five ducks headline the string of 13 innings in which he has been dismissed for less than 10 runs. He is a pale shadow of the batsman who walked tall a little over a year ago. Not even the 149 at the Oval when, along with Rishab Pant, he raised visions of an improbable Indian win, refuelled his confidence. To be sure, his last three centuries have been big ones – 158 against the West Indies in Kingston, 199 against England in Chennai and the 149 were suggestive of a hungry batsman placing a value on his wicket. And, in scoring 1905 runs in 34 Tests so far, he has scored 50-plus twice in every seven innings. These are impressive statistics and would support his inclusion. He has been seen as an impact player but that should not mean that the team management and the selectors ignore a crucial fact. He has been unable to see the new ball off in every other innings that he has played in Test cricket. It is a fact that he made 10 or less in 27 of the 54 innings that he has been dismissed in Tests. It is a worrisome piece of statistic. Of greater concern to the coaching staff must be the fact that he has been bowled or ruled out leg before wicket or been caught at the wicket in as many as 34 innings. To most students of the game, this would represent an uncertainty about the line of the delivery. The team has sought to encourage him by saying repeatedly that Rahul is one innings away from form. And of the greatest worry should be what Sunil Gavaskar, legendary opening batsman, draws everyone’s attention to. He has indicated that Rahul could be dealing with issues with both his technique and mental make-up. And a lot of it could have to do with how he gave it away after buckling down to make 44 in the second innings of the Adelaide Test. He may have another chance at redemption if India bats a second time at the Sydney Cricket Ground and even if he makes a good score, the larger questions about him will remain. He will need a string of good scores to ensure that the captain and team management’s faith in his abilities are not completely shaken. After all, some of the blame can be taken by the coaching staff which tended to gloss over his early dismissals. “If he gets out after reaching the 15 or 20-run mark, then the cause for concern is more serious,” batting coach Sanjay Bangar said after Rahul dragged an incoming delivery from West Indian captain Jason Holder to his stumps. One of the team management’s worries would be the impact his abysmal form in the red-ball cricket would have on his batting in the limited-overs’ formats. With the ICC Cricket World Cup in England looming on the horizon, the thinktank will be hoping that he is able to ignore his Test cricket woes and play in his wonted style when the team returns to the white-ball games. And that could be a tall order for someone who has been seen as not taking up the responsibility assigned to him in dealing with the new ball. Will he sit down for a meaningful conversation with the right people who can help him break free of the shackles imposed by the string of low scores? Or will he just return to enjoying his game and rediscover the skill sets to benefit the team? It just might help him to take his mind off cricket for a bit and come back refreshed and ready.