“KL Rahul was playing for his form and spot, how will he score?” – Reetinder Singh Sodhi on India opener’s failure in T20 World Cup

Former India cricketer Reetinder Singh Sodhi has lashed out at KL Rahul for his T20 World Cup failures while opening Team India's innings. He believes that the vice-captain was playing for his spot, which is why he failed to deliver in crunch games.

For the uninitiated, Rahul scored 128 runs in six innings at an average of 21.33. The right-hander registered single-digit scores against Pakistan, Netherlands, South Africa, and England. His half-centuries came against lower-ranked teams Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Speaking on India News, Sodhi said:

“We are talking about intent. If you look at the World Cup, KL Rahul was playing for his form and spot, how will he score? There was insecurity about his place, he scores fifty and then we continued to pursue him.”

The statement comes as the BCCI is set to announce the squad for India’s T20s and ODIs against Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue will host three T20Is and three ODIs against the Islanders, starting Tuesday (December 3).

KL Rahul scored 57 runs in two Tests in Bangladesh, raising the question mark on his selection for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

---

“Our approach is conservative” – Saba Karim on KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma

Former India selector Saba Karim has also criticized Team India for their conservative approach in T20Is. He wants the batters to dominate right from the word go instead of playing for their spots in the team. He feels the team needs to play fearless cricket to reach scores of 190-200 consistently.

Speaking on the same show, Karim said:

“I want India to dominate world cricket. Our approach is conservative. We always think about safe (bachbachav) cricket. Even if you are chasing 130, reach them in 12 or 13 overs.”

It’s worth mentioning that regular captain Rohit Sharma also had a dismal outing in the T20 World Cup 2022. He has scored 116 runs in six games at an average of 19.33, including a lone fifty against the Netherlands.