KL Rahul’s struggles with strike rate have resurfaced in IPL 2024, casting doubt on his role for the Indian team at the upcoming T20 World Cup. Prior to the IPL season, discussions swirled about Rahul potentially shifting to the middle-order for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in preparation for the mega ICC event.
The proposed middle-order switch was intended to align with the potential role Rahul might play for India, effectively giving him a chance to audition for that specific position.
Talking upon the same matter, former Indian women’s pacer Jhulan Goswami chimed and opined her views. The ‘Chakdaha Express’ took to her X (formerly known as Twitter) account urging Rahul to consider batting in the middle-order for LSG. Her tweet emphasized the strategic importance of this move with the World Cup approaching: “Keeping the #World Cup in mind @klrahul should consider moving in the middle order for #LSG – Now is the time to shuffle those cards strategically!,” said Goswami.
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KL Rahul need to up his game in IPL 2024
Despite some talks of him playing in the middle-order for the Super Giants, Rahul has remained at the top of the order. Even while batting in the powerplay overs, the 31-year-old has failed to get his team off to blazing starts. While he has made 126 runs in four innings, his strike rate of a meager 128.57 has raised concerns. This underwhelming performance strengthens the argument for a middle-order shift, as suggested by Goswami.
With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, Rahul’s performance in the IPL becomes even more crucial. Given the fact that the Men in Blue will feature the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, playing Rahul up the order might not be possible. Due to this, the best case scenario for the wicket-keeper batter would be to assert his dominance in the middle-order in IPL.