The last couple of years have been golden for KL Rahul. He’s enjoyed a renaissance in the two longest formats of the game, finding success whenever given the opportunity. He was one of India’s best batters in the ODI World Cup, scored one of the greatest away hundreds in Centurion earlier in the year, and right now, he’s Team India’s best batter against the best team in the world, Australia, in their own backyard.
KL Rahul’s reward for performing, demotion
But things never work out for Rahul. In the very next series after his Centurion century, he was injured. When Test cricket resumed for India, he was dropped against New Zealand for no fault of his own. He was playing in the middle order, and after captain Rohit Sharma pulled out of the first India vs Australia Test, he was asked to open. Rahul obliged and has done exceedingly well since.
KL Rahul in BGT 2024-25
| Innings | Runs | Average | Balls Faced | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
| 6 | 235 | 47 | 470 | 0 | 2 | 84 |
So how does the management repay him? By asking their best batter to move down the order to accommodate an aging star, who’s also the captain of the team. Rahul always gets tasked with the most difficult job, which no one else seems ready to do. Yet, irrespective of the results, he’s treated harshly not just by fans or media but by his team.
Rohit Sharma to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal
Rohit Sharma is a class player, but his best is behind him, and it doesn’t look like he’ll get back to form by facing the new ball. If he’s facing against the old ball, how do you expect him to succeed against the new red cherry? Rahul has been blunting the ball, tiring the bowlers out, and keeping Team India in the game when wickets have been tumbling from the other end.
There is nothing more difficult in cricket than an opener’s job away from home. Rahul has excelled at it. Only one batter, Travis Head, has scored more runs than him in the series. No one’s faced more balls than him, and he’s recorded just two single-digit scores (one of which is an unbeaten one). You can’t expect anything more from your opener.
The KL Rahul story
Yet, when a struggling Rohit Sharma needs to prove himself a batter, Rahul has to be the one who needs to be sacrificed. He’ll take it, and no one will have his back. The next he falls, social media will go after him hard, and once the bad patch comes, he’ll be the first to get dropped. That’s been the KL Rahul story, unfortunately.
