Former India pacer Ashish Nehra is of the opinion that in-form KL Rahul should get the nod ahead of Shubman Gill or Prithvi Shaw to open alongside Mayank Agarwal for India in the Border-Gavaskar Test series vs Australia. Nehra said that if Rahul can score runs given the form he is currently in, the opening conundrum can turn into a strength for India.
KL Rahul is back in the Test squad after a gap of over one year and is in red-hot form in the limited-overs format. Rahul was the Orange Cap holder in IPL 2020, mustering 670 runs at 55.83 alongside five fifties and a century.
“There is the question surrounding India’s opening pair, as to who will open with Mayank Agarwal. I wouldn’t exactly call it a weakness, but it surely is a concern at this point. You can look at Shubman Gill or even Prithvi Shaw for that matter, but I believe it should be KL Rahul to open the batting for India. If he can score runs given the kind of form he is in, this weakness can transform into a strength for India. I would want him to play,” Ashish Nehra said in a video on Cricbuzz.
Rahul surely deserves a place in India’s Test XI given his form in limited-overs and the talent he possesses. Mayank Agarwal has been brilliant in Tests for India and has an aggregate of 974 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 57.29, including three hundreds and four fifties.
“Mayank Agarwal had played a couple of useful innings for India during the previous tour. With him, KL Rahul makes a lot of sense. He hasn’t had the best of runs for India in Tests in the last year and a half. He’s been dropped too, but it’s an opportunity for Rahul,” Nehra pointed out.
