"He can try to reinvent himself" - When Gautam Gambhir shared a suggestion for a talented Indian batter after he was dropped

Australia V India - Cricket Test Press Conference - Source: Getty
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir (Image Credits: Getty Images)

Team India batter KL Rahul is among the most talented cricketers in the game today. He's also considered one of the biggest enigmas of world cricket for being unable to deliver on the big stage consistently. As a result of the same, he has been in and out of the team.

If we look at the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, the story has been a rather similar one. The 32-year-old impressed in the opening Test in Perth, scoring defiant half-century in the second innings but only managed one fifty in his next eight innings of the series.

Owing to his inconsistency, Rahul was dropped from the playing XI during the Test series against Australia at home in the first half of 2023. Reacting to the talented batter being left out of the team, Gambhir had commented that Rahul must feel hurt and must also look to reinvent his game as per the needs of the team. The current Team India head coach had told Star Sports:

"Every player has to go through such phases. Tell me one player who has scored runs consistently throughout his career. These things are a blessing in disguise at times. It should hurt you when you watch someone else play in your place, or when you have to carry drinks. But he is the captain of a franchise, and there's no need for him to prove anything to anyone.
"He has scored four or five hundreds in the IPL. But if he isn't in the T20 team or in the Test playing XI, he can try to reinvent himself and bat the way his team and country expect him to," the former India batter added.

While Rahul is part of the Test team for the ongoing BGT Down Under, he's also a member of the one-day team. However, the elegant right-handed batter hasn't played a T20I for the Men in Blue since the 2022 T20 World Cup.


KL Rahul's stats in international cricket

Having made his international debut during the Boxing Day Test in 2014, Rahul has featured in 58 Tests and scored 3,257 runs at an average of 33.57, with eight hundreds and 17 fifties.

In ODIs, the right-handed batter has played 77 matches and scored 2,851 runs at an average of 49.15, with seven tons and 18 fifties. The Karnataka batter has also represented India in 72 T20Is, scoring 2,265 runs at an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 139.12, with two centuries and 22 half-centuries.

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Edited by Renin Wilben Albert
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