'Bring Him & Try in Middle-order': Ex-India Batter Picks Domestic Stalwart as KL Rahul's Replacement in Tests

KL Rahul has landed in a spot of bother following his twin failures with the bat in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. After scoring a 6-ball duck in the first innings, the Karnataka batter could muster only 12 off 16 in India’s second essay. He was a little unfortunate to face the Kiwi bowlers with the new ball under overcast conditions, but that doesn’t cover up for another underwhelming outing with the bat.

Rahul has managed 234 runs in the eight innings he played this year, comprising two fifties. Notably, both half-centuries came in difficult scenarios with changes in his batting positions. The inconsistency disappointed former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary, as he reckoned that the Indian domestic set-up has far more talented batters.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Tiwary opined that India should experiment with the in-form Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has scored four centuries in his last four first-class matches.

“If you play 91 innings, and have an average of 33.98… India have a lot of batters who are performing well consistently, even in domestic cricket, then why not (rethink KL Rahul’s spot)?” Tiwary told Cricbuzz.

“If in a Test match, you can get a performance out of Sarfaraz by sending him at No. 4… I feel Abhimanyu Easwaran is a player, whom we have definitely given that ‘opener’ tag, and he is a specialist opener, but if you look at his numbers, there were hardly any innings in the last few matches he played where he did not score a century. So, bring him in, and try him as a middle-order batter, given that he is in form. Why not?” he added.

Tiwary further stated that Rahul will be backed despite his failures in Bengaluru given his experience, adding that the Karnataka batter also has to step up as there are so many players waiting for an opportunity.

“But again, as much as I have understood, they will keep backing Rahul because he has the experience and is a technically sound batter. But then you also need performances, consistently, which should be checked in a 1:3 ratio. In this age of competition, if you can’t score a ton in three innings… there are a lot of players waiting in the wings, hoping for an opportunity and are banging on the selectors’ doors,” he said.