IND vs AUS: 'I will be fighting for him' - Former Aussie captain comes in support of under-fire KL Rahul

Indian opener KL Rahul has been under-fire for a long time. He has had a torrid form in Test cricket in the recent past and paid the price after being dropped from India's playing XI in the third and penultimate Test versus Australia in Indore. Rahul only managed 198 runs in his last 12 innings and scored 38 runs in three outings in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2022/23 edition.

Hence, Rahul was sidelined from the playing XI for the Indore Test, with Shubman Gill replacing him, despite captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid backing him after the second Test in New Delhi. While many called for his omission, former Australian captain Michael Clarke feels Rahul could have been given a run with the team enjoying a winning streak.

"I really like KL Rahul. He is a great young man and an extremely gifted player. India is winning at the moment, so if I was the captain, I would be fighting for him. I would be saying, ‘We are winning; I know he is not at his best, but we can afford to keep him on the team right now. He is a good player, he will train hard enough, and he is going to come back for us’," Clarke told RevSportz.

"If the team is winning, I think he can keep players who aren’t performing well for a little bit longer. So I will be fighting for KL Rahul," Clarke further added.

In Rahul's absence, Rohit-led India have struggled on a turning track at the Holkar Stadium, Indore. On Day 1 of the third and penultimate Test, India opted to bat first and folded for a paltry 109. In reply, Australia bundled out for 197 and have dismissed half of India's batting line-up in their second essay with hosts' overall lead being less than 50.