Gambhir said, Lokesh Rahul should not be targeted only for scoring less runs
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels that it would be a bit unfair to criticize only Lokesh Rahul as every player goes through bad phases in his career. In the last 10 Test innings, Rahul averages only 12.5 and during this time he could not even touch the figure of 25 runs. In the last 10 innings, he has scored 08, 10, 12, 22, 23, 10, 02, 20, 17 and 01 runs, raising questions about his place in the playing XI. There is a demand to include Shubman Gill in the playing XI.
“Lokesh Rahul should not be dropped from the Indian team,” Gambhir told PTI during the pre-season camp organized by Lucknow Super Giants. No single player should be targeted. Everyone goes through bad times. Nobody, a cricket expert or anyone, should tell him that he is not doing well and will be dropped from the team. Gambhir is the guide of the Lucknow team and Rahul is the captain of the same team. Gambhir cited the example of current India captain Rohit Sharma as to how the previous team management supported him so that he could be successful in Test cricket.
When Rohit started the innings, he started getting success in the traditional format. He said, “You have to back players who have talent. Look at Rohit Sharma. He also went through a bad phase. See how he started his career. He achieved late success. Compare his past performance with his present performance. Everyone could see his talent and supported him. Now see the result. He is doing brilliantly. Rahul can do the same.” Gambhir believes that if the team is winning matches easily then there is no point in tinkering with winning combinations and targeting any individual player.
He said, “India is ahead 2-0 and not behind 0-2. So don’t single anyone out and appreciate the team’s performance. I think the Indian team management is doing the right thing by backing Lokesh Rahul. He is a great player. She has scored runs in international cricket.” On Indian women’s cricket team’s semi-final clash against Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup, Gambhir said, “I think India has the talent to beat Australia. Of course Australia is a good team but I am sure Indian women’s team has the ability to beat Australia. If you play those 240 balls better than Australia, the team can beat them.
