Open letter to K L Rahul asking him not to lose hope

KL Rahul could find himself on the sidelines despite scoring a superb hundred in his previous Test

Dear Rahul,

I know the past few days must have been tough on you, but don’t just lose hope yet. We have seen glimpses of your genius in your second match, and we know what you are capable of.

That brilliant maiden century against the Aussies on their home turf was not an easy feat, especially for a 23 year old playing only his second international match.

A spectacular 2014 Ranji season, followed by an impressive 110 against Australia, and a decent IPL 2015 were enough to secure you a spot in the playing XI against Bangladesh. While it was virtually settled that you would be opening alongside Murali Vijay, your illness passed on the mantle to Shikhar Dhawan, forcing you to watch the action unfold from your home.

As luck would have it, Dhawan made a sparkling comeback, hitting 173 of 195 balls against probably the weakest Test bowling attack in World Cricket currently.

It will be tough for the selectors to now choose a batting partner for Vijay with both the potential candidates having scored centuries in their last Test matches.

Owing to Dhawan’s form if you are benched for a few matches (which could potentially happen), don’t give up, or feel the need to modify your playing style to meet the pace of Dhawan. He is one of the most explosive openers we have had since Virender Sehwag, while you are more of a classical batsman, following the footsteps of Rahul Dravid.

No doubt that Dhawan is a great asset, but we can expect similar stuff from you, after seeing you average 93.11 in the nine matches of 2014-15 Ranji season. You continued to pile on the runs back home for Karnataka even after returning from Australia.

We hope to see both of you being given ample chances to prove your mettle, and the team should get a compatible, consistent and talented set of openers- something we have been waiting for since the days of Gauti and Viru.

As the first ever triple-centurion for Karnataka, we hope the fighter spirit in you will remain intact, and you will continue working hard. Your grit and perseverance will eventually pave way for more spectacular performances in the future, and we promise that your fans will continue to back you up, no matter what.

All the best, and get well soon!