IPL 2019: Five Indian players who need a good tournament to confirm a place in the World Cup squad

#4 KL Rahul

India v Australia - T20I: Game 2

The year 2019 didn't start well for KL Rahul mostly because of his off-field controversies. Rahul and Hardik Pandya were in the eye of a massive storm for their sexist comments on the TV show "Koffee with Karan". They were even suspended from the team and were called off from the on-going Australia tour.

However, the suspension was eventually revoked and Rahul made his comeback for the series against Australia at home. He just played in the one match of the series at Mohali where he batted at No.3 and managed to score just 26 runs.

Rahul's ODI career has never flourished and to be fair enough he hasn't got any chances consistently at one batting position. He is primarily an opener and with India being blessed with two world-class openers in the form of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, it is highly unlikely that he will get a chance at that position if both of them are fit.

There is no question of him batting at No.3 either as that number belongs to the King Virat Kohli himself. With selectors often showing reluctance with Rayudu, it is possible that Rahul is tried at No.4.

Rahul's ODI stats have not been that great, where he has scored 343 runs at an average of 34.30 in 14 innings. He bats best in the opening position as he averages 56 and his performances in the rest of the position is not worth mentioning.

So Rahul can make it to the World Cup squad as a backup opener or as an option for the No.4 spot. But for that to happen he needs to fire some big runs in the IPL 2019.