‘Average is not acceptable as an opener,’ Dinesh Karthik criticises KL Rahul’s poor form

Dinesh Karthik has criticised KL Rahul’s Test batting average and said that Shubman Gill is doing well, lingering around to seal the opening slot in the Indian team. KL Rahul has been in poor form for quite a while and has not been able to produce a productive innings in Test cricket. Rahul scored 137 runs in eight innings with a lone half-century in 2022 averaging 17.12. He managed to score 57 runs in the two games against Bangladesh. Karthik said that Rahul should get a couple of hundreds in the four-match series against Australia at home, or he shall make way for Gill. Karthik also pointed out that Rahul’s average is one of the lowest in Indian Test cricket. Twitter Reactions | 'Useless captain!' KL Rahul faces ire of fans as batters flop in low-scoring chase “I would give KL those couple of Test matches, but if things don’t go KL Rahul’s way… The one thing that does go against him is the fact that he has played over 40 Tests and his average is just mid-30s. That is not acceptable for an opener. That is one of the lowest among Indian players for sure, who have played 35 Test matches," Karthik said in a conversation with Cricbuzz. Rahul averages 34.26 in the longest format, having scored 2,604 runs in 45 matches with seven hundreds and 13 half-centuries. Gill, on the other hand, has scored 736 runs at an average of 32 in 13 games. Gill has attracted the experts with his stroke play and after playing a few match-winning knocks such as the 91 against Australia. Dinesh Karthik: I think, KL Rahul will definitely start the Australian series “That is something that he needs to definitely work on. That will be on his mind. If he wants to cement his place in the Test team, he needs to get a couple of hundreds against Australia. Otherwise, you can definitely see a change, with Shubman Gill doing so well,” Karthik added. It will be worthwhile to see if KL Rahul gets an extended run once Rohit Sharma returns to action or not. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.