"KL Rahul is not going to get a chance now; this is why he has been removed as the vice-captain" - Harbhajan Singh on Indian opener ahead of 3rd Test

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh believes that opening batter KL Rahul is likely to be dropped from India's playing XI for the upcoming third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

He pointed out that this could be the reason why Rahul has been stripped of his vice-captaincy role. Singh mentioned that Shubman Gill has shown tremendous form in his recent white-ball outings and should get the nod over the senior batter.

Speaking to Sports Tak, he said:

"I think KL Rahul is not going to get a chance now; this is why he has been removed as the vice-captain. Shubman Gill has been in very good form and he was like a superhero in ODIs and T20Is. I believe he is going to replace Rahul in the team."

Notably, Rahul has been under the scanner after a string of poor performances in red-ball cricket. The right-handed batter has mustered just 38 runs in three innings in the ongoing Test series against Australia at an ordinary average of 12.66.

Gill, on the other hand, was India's top performer for India in the three-match home ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year. He was the top run-getter in the series, finishing with 360 runs, which included a stunning 208-run knock. The youngster backed it up with a scintillating innings of 126 runs in the final match of the ensuing T20I series against the Blackcaps.

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"A short break will benefit him a lot" - Harbhajan Singh on KL Rahul's lack of form

Harbhajan Singh further stated that KL Rahul should consider taking some time off from the game. He opined that it would help the out-of-form batter come back stronger.

The 42-year-old, however, underlined that the former India vice-captain has the ability to do well and he considers him one of the best batters in world cricket.

"The way KL Rahul got out shows that luck is not on his side," he added. "He is a quality player and a fantastic batter. I believe that his numbers could have been a lot better, considering how skilful he is. I see him as one of the batters in world cricket. A short break will benefit him a lot."

Incidentally, Virat Kohli took a short break from cricket before the 2022 Asia Cup, which helped him bounce back and end his three-year-long century drought. He scored a scintillating century in the continental tournament before coming up with consistent performances in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia despite India failing to lift the trophy.