The plans for KL Rahul in One-Day Internationals have not panned out as expected so far. After his impressive performance in the Test team where he has sealed his spot as an opener, the Karnataka star was drafted in the ODI side as a middle-order batsman during the Sri Lanka series.
With Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina not a part of the team, Rahul looked like the best bait to solve India’s middle-order woes. Rahul, who began his ODI career as an opener and scored a century in his very first game, failed the team’s decision. He batted at No. 3, 4 and 5 in the three innings he played in Sri Lanka and aggregated only 28 runs before being dropped from the team.
On the other hand, his replacement Manish Pandey made his chances count in Sri Lanka, scoring 50 not out and 36 in two ODIs before scoring a match-winning unbeaten 51 in the one-off T20I. Not surprisingly, Pandey was a part of the team for the first ODI against Australia while Rahul warmed the bench.
But despite suffering the setbacks, Rahul is upbeat about his chances and is looking to work hard to win back his place in the playing eleven. The 25-year-old took to Twitter to express his feelings over the recent turn of events, writing,
“Work hard, Stay Humble and Trust the Process. ?.”
Work hard, Stay Humble and Trust the Process. ? #EnjoyLife pic.twitter.com/F4wRNaqlOz
— K L Rahul (@klrahul) September 19, 2017
Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli has made it clear that Rahul is an important part of the the ODI team, and is confident he would be able to win matches for the team once he settles down.
“I think, if you look to bat in the position that you bat in one format, in all the formats, then it can get very difficult for the team to find the right kind of balance [while] including that player. So I think players need to adapt to what the team requirement is more often. For example, I’ve opened in T20 cricket as well. So I would do that any day if there is a guy in the middle order who is going to strengthen [the team]. I should be flexible enough to do that. I think it’s up to the player to get versatile in a manner that he can take up different positions that the team requires him to do,” Kohli had said before the first match.
“It takes time, I am not saying it is easy. If you see Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane] as well – he has played in the middle order in the ODIs, he plays in the middle order in Test matches. He’s also opened a lot in ODIs as well. He also felt that he found it difficult to switch. Now we’re backing Jinks at the top of the order. So he knows his plans are clear. So, once you get that balance with giving that player more chances, then he gets more confident of his role in the team. Till then obviously, Manish [Pandey] is there as well, Kedar is there as well. So there’ll always be competition for a particular spot. KL is an outstanding talent. He’s proved himself in all formats. And he is someone that needs to be backed. Because we believe that he has the ability. Once he gets his role done, he’ll start winning us games. We’re very sure of that,” he had added.