Venkatesh Prasad recently opened up about his recent criticism of India batter KL Rahul and said that nothing he said was harsh and that it only escalated because few people took it too seriously.
Prasad was very vocal about KL Rahul’s failures with the bat in the recent Test series against Australia where the batter scored 38 runs in three innings before being dropped from the XI for the last two Tests with Shubman Gill replacing him.
Rahul not only lost his spot in Test XI but also lost the vice-captaincy in Tests and ODIs, with Hardik Pandya replacing him as ODI deputy to Rohit Sharma.
Not only had Prasad posted lengthy Twitter threads about KL Rahul showcasing numbers and stats and comparing them to other batters, but also got into a Twitter feud with former opener Aakash Chopra over the same.
Prasad’s constating bashing of Rahul on Twitter drew a reaction from Chopra, who defended the India batter, leading to an all-out bitter spat. Chopra accused Prasad of being an ‘Agenda Peddler’ and whatnot and the former pacer turned down a request to discuss the matter over a video.
Now Prasad opened up about his ongoing issues with KL Rahul and said that he has nothing against anybody.
“I’ve got nothing against anybody but it’s just that whatever I feel I say it. Few people take it; few don’t. It’s up to them. It’s not that I’ve only spoken about KL Rahul. I even expressed my opinion over Sarfaraz Khan as well who has been performing brilliantly. I have sure that I didn’t cross the line, as simple as that. Few people have taken it very seriously and few have criticised,” Prasad told CNN News 18.
But He Has Not Lived Up To The Talent That He Has: Venkatesh Prasad On KL Rahul
Prasad pointed out that his criticism of Rahul stemmed from his observation of the Indian cricketer since his early days. He said that he was confident of star India batter changing his fortunes soon.
“Look I’ve got great respect and regard to KL Rahul. I’ve seen him since his Under-16 days – almost for 15 years. Having followed and worked with him at different stages be in Karnataka, at NCA or with the Indian team. He was given a long rope and that’s fair enough for the kind of potential that he has. But he has not lived up to the talent that he is there. I am sure it will get better in the next few months but having said that, I have not been harsh; I had to say what I felt,” stated Prasad.
Rahul will be in action when India faces Australia in the third and series-deciding ODI in Chennai on March 22.