Azharuddin said Rahul needs to be consistent, work on shortcomings with coach
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin believes Lokesh Rahul needs to be more consistent in his performances and needs to work on his technical flaws with the national team coach. The 57-year-old Azhar, who is known for his artistic play, is a bit disappointed that a player of Rahul’s talent is not playing to his full potential. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Azharuddin said, “I think there is a problem of consistency in Rahul’s case but I think there are coaches who should rectify his mistakes.” From my point of view he is a good player but lacks consistency in performance.
Rahul has failed to perform well since his comeback at the international level. He was also bowled for 39 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday. Azhar said, “I think Rahul is getting out in many ways. Mainly the good balls not getting him out. Poor shot selection is causing the problem. Azharuddin believes that all senior players should take time out and play domestic cricket. Limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharma and superstar Virat Kohli played impressive knocks in the first ODI and Azharuddin feels the duo will be key players for India in the 50-over World Cup later this year.
He said, “Both are very good and classy players and they have done well in the past as well as the records say. I am sure Kohli and Rohit will do very well in the World Cup. There has always been consistency in his performance in the ODI format.” Azharuddin, who captained the Indian team in two stints for nearly a decade between 1990 and 1999, believes that new T20 skipper Hardik Pandya has good leadership qualities. He said, “Hardik is looking good as a captain and looks like he can take the team forward but he needs to be careful about his back as he has been out for a long time due to it. Is.”
Azharuddin said, “India will need all-rounder Hardik and we cannot afford injuries. Hardik has a young team and that is the way forward. Strong coordination will be needed in the upcoming T20 series to build a winning combination. The Indian selectors have faced a lot of criticism in the recent past and Azhar would like his former teammate and chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma to clarify on some players. Do it so that there is no doubt. “Definitely, Chetan should hold at least one or two press conferences and tell what is the way forward for the current Indian team,” he added.
Azharuddin has been the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association for over a year now but has been at loggerheads with former India players like Arshad Ayub and Shivlal Yadav over administration. The former Indian captain said, “It has been good so far. We are fighting to restore the lost reputation of Hyderabad Cricket Association. We have done a lot of work (in terms of renovation) in the stadium as well as in the dressing room. It was all in a pathetic condition when I took over. We will be hosting our second international match (India vs New Zealand) in three months. We are very happy that BCCI has recognized our hard work and we are being allotted matches. Hosting both T20 and ODIs in a short span of time.
