New Delhi, India
KL Rahul has struggled with the willow ever since making his comeback from injury. The opening batter returned for the Men in Bue in their recently-concluded tour of Zimbabwe where he led the team in the absence of several senior players. He is currently in action for the Men in Blue in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.
Rahul has been India's first-choice opener in white-ball cricket for a while now and has been opening the batting with captain Rohit Sharma in the ongoing Asia Cup after his return. However, his performances have been far from impressive so far as the stylish right-hander has been widely criticised over his timid approach in the shortest format.
He was dismissed for a duck in India's opening game against Pakistan and followed it up with a woeful 36-run knock in 39 balls against minnows Hong Kong in their second game. Amid his struggles with the willow, India legend Sunil Gavaskar has issued a stern warning to Rahul.
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Former India captain Gavaskar believes Rahul's poor form is a huge concern for the Indian team heading into the T20 World Cup 2022 later this year and that he should be replaced if cannot spark a turnaround. Gavaskar named Shubman Gill as an ideal replacement for Rahul at the top.
"See, Shubman Gill has batted so brilliantly in Zimbabwe and West Indies so there definitely is a stiff fight for the opening slot, the fight is tough. So if you aren't scoring runs and not in form then it's concerning. It's a matter of the World Cup, where you should only take players who are in form," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
Gill is not the only contender for the second opening slot as far as T20I are concerned for Team India. The likes of Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad are also in the fray and have been waiting in the wings for opportunities. Gavaskar believes India cannot take a chance with Rahul as only a handful of T20I matches remain in the run-up to the T20 World Cup.
"There is no scope of taking a chance with someone there, hoping that after 2-3 matches, a player will return to form. No. Because all World Cup matches are tough. Rahul has a few matches left and he will have to score runs otherwise, the selection committee will think what to do next," Gavaskar explained.