‘He might need some time away from the game’ – Dinesh Karthik talks about the slump in form of opener KL Rahul

India is currently facing Australia in the four-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The hosts have already retained the trophy after winning the first two Tests of the series and are flying high on the Test Championship table. They would be looking to seal the deal and book a place in the final by winning the third Test in Indore.

KL Rahul may be through his worst run in his international career right now. He has previously missed a lot of games as a result of injury. He was also benched from the Test team owing to bad play, although he had never experienced a dry spell in any of the other formats, with the exception of ODIs. 

After a spate of subpar T20I performances, he was demoted from vice-captaincy in limited overs. In his final ten Test innings, he recorded scores of 8, 12, 10, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, and 1, and the selectors decided to remove him from his position as Rohit Sharma’s backup in red-ball cricket. He might not even suit up for the upcoming two Test matches against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

What did fellow teammate Dinesh Karthik say about KL Rahul?

Indian team wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik spoke on CricBuzz about KL Rahul’s position in the team. He said, “He also knows for a fact that if he’s going to be dropped for the next match, which is pretty much an eventuality, it is not because of the one innings, it is because of what has transpired in the last five-six Test matches. He is a class player. He is very good in all formats. At this point, I don’t think it’s the technique, it’s what is happening between the ears. He might need some time away from the game. Come back fresh for the ODIs.”

The Bangalore wicketkeeper talks about how he used to deal with such phases in his life. He said, “This is a professional world, you’ve got to deal with those sorrowful moments but as a player when I look at what he has gone through. When you get out that way knowing very well this could have been your last innings. It has happened to me when you go into the dressing room, quietly walk into the toilet, and shed a tear or two. It’s not a nice feeling because there’s not much you can do.”