KL Rahul’s inconsistent form continues to haunt him as he failed to impress in the opening day of India A’s four-day contest against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Opening the batting, Rahul was dismissed for a mere four runs, putting his hopes of earning a spot in the India XI for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in jeopardy.
Rahul’s dismissal came at the hands of Scott Boland, who angled the ball into the off stump region and found the edge. The 32-year-old had started strongly, hitting a boundary off his first ball, but his innings was cut short after just seven deliveries.
Michael Neser emerged as the destroyer-in-chief for Australia A, taking 4 wickets for 27 runs in the first innings. Dhruv Jurel top-scored for India A with 80 runs, while Devdutt Padikkal (26) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (16) also contributed. Beau Webster claimed three wickets for the hosts, running through the lower order.
Rahul’s latest single-digit outing is a setback in his bid to seal a spot in the Indian team for the Perth Test, which begins in 15 days. Dropped for the second and third Tests against New Zealand, Rahul needs to make a mark at the MCG to impress selectors, coach Gautam Gambhir, and captain Rohit Sharma.
Inconsistency has been a major concern for Rahul, who has struggled to find his rhythm in recent times. He scored 38 and 68 in the two Bangladesh Tests and had produced 86 runs against England in Hyderabad. His last Test century, 101 runs, came versus South Africa at Centurion.
Prior to that knock, Rahul had gone past the 25-run mark only once in 12 innings. His record in Australia is also not encouraging, with the batter averaging just 20.77 in five Tests.
Despite his struggles, Rahul’s experience and ability to bat at the top of the order or in the middle could still earn him a recall to the Indian team. However, he will need to produce a significant performance in the remaining three days of the match to convince the selectors that he deserves a place in the XI.
