Rahul Dravid backs KL Rahul despite lean patch; says Rohit has dressing room's respect following 2nd Test win

Indian openers have had contrasting outings so far in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series. While the India captain Rohit Sharma hit a stunning hundred in the first innings of the Nagpur Test in addition to scoring 32 and 31 inboth innings in Delhi, KL Rahul failed in his three outings – scoring 20, 17 and 1. Amid facing criticism from all across for his lean patch, Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid has come in favour of struggling KL Rahul. Speaking to the media after the end of the second Test that India won by six wickets, Dravid backed the Indian opener saying it’s just about time before he clicks at the top of the order.

Meanwhile, following the end of the first Test in Nagpur, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad didn’t hold back while criticizing KL Rahul, saying to an extent that the team management is picking players out of favouritism and not on merit. After Rahul’s failure in the second Test, Prasad went after him again, asking the management to drop him and play in-form Shubman Gill instead.

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However, Dravid looked unfazed with all the criticism coming Rahul’s way and showed support towards him by saying, “Sometime when things are not going for you, these things happen. But on another day when it starts happening, he has got the class and quality.”

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Rohit has dressing room’s respect

Highly impressed with how Rohit has led the team so far and how he fared with the bat in two Tests, Dravid said Rohit has been brilliant. He added that the Mumbai batter is man of few words, and that he cares about the dressing room pretty much. The veteran Dravid also saidIndia must feel lucky to have a captain like Rohit Sharma.

"I think he has been brilliant. He has the respect of the dressing room. He is one of those guys who has been there a long time. The kind of person who doesn’t speak a lot, but when he does, they all listen. He deeply cares a lot about the dressing room and the players. We are very lucky to have Rohit take over the leadership from someone like Virat," team India’s head coach said.

Meanwhile, after Chetan Sharma got ousted as the BCCI chief selector following a sting operation on him by Zee Media, the board is yet to assign the head of the selection committee that will name the squad for the remaining two Tests. It is to be seen now what futures holds for KL Rahul.

The third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series will begin on March 1st at the Holkar stadium in Indore.