"Hasn't Lived Up To His Expectations": Ex-India Batter's Take On KL Rahul

India batter KL Rahul seems to be regaining his magic touch. Rahul, who has been under the scanner for his performance throughout the course of 2022, scored a quickfire 39 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, following it up with a match-winning 64 not out in the second match of the series on Thursday. However, former India batter Wasim Jaffer reckons that Rahul's performance will remain under scrutiny every time he goes out to bat, especially when an in-form player like Suryakumar Yadav is out of the playing XI.

"When you don't perform with the bat, you are going to catch the eye. He (Rahul) hasn't been in great form recently, so every innings of his is going to be scrutinized since Suryakumar Yadav is sitting out. Rishabh Pant is out; Sanju Samson is on his back. It's understandable that every innings is going to be very critical for him," Jaffer said during a chat on ESPNcricinfo.

Despite calling Rahul a class player, Jaffer pointed out the fact that the batter hasn't performed well against big teams.

"It's nice for him to get some winning runs and get into form. His consistency has been an issue even though he is a class player; there is no doubt about it. But on bigger occasions, he hasn't lived up to his expectations. People do talk about it that when he plays against stronger oppositions, KL doesn't turn up. But he's a class player. I hope he remains in this kind of form because he is such a fine player," he added.

India took an unassailable 2-0 in the three-match series against Sri Lanka. 

The third and final ODI will be played on Sunday in Thiruvanathapuram.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Sri Lanka Cricket Team KL Rahul Wasim Jaffer Suryakumar Yadav India vs Sri Lanka 2023 Cricket