"Temperamentally Not Suited...": Sanjay Manjrekar's Big Statement On Lucknow Super Giants Captain KL Rahul

The KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants crashed out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 after losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator on Wednesday. Chasing a stiff target of 208, LSG had hope till the time captain Rahul was at the crease. He hit five sixes and three fours on his way to scoring a 58-ball 79. His strike-rate was a modest 136.20. Rahul was dismissed in the 19th over by Josh Hazlewood with the scoreboard reading 180/5 in 18.4 overs. Ultimately, LSG lost the match by 14 runs.

While Rahul top-scored for LSG in the match, his strike-rate did not impress former Indian cricket team player Sanjay Manjrekar. Rahul, who is also the India captain for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa, has not had a strike-rate of 140 or more in the last four editions of the IPL.  

"We've seen enough of KL Rahul to now know that when he becomes this player, the captain, the key player of the side… I mean Virat Kohli loves that kind of responsibility. Dhoni loved it. I think Rohit Sharma, barring this season, generally likes that kind of responsibility. Maybe KL Rahul temperamentally is not suited to take this kind of responsibility where he is the man who has got to get the job done. They are just made of different mettle and maybe KL Rahul isn't," Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo's show T20 Time:Out.

Manjrekar said that Rahul is better off not taking up the role of the player who has to finish the match and it is the coaches who need to explain this to him.

"As a coach, I would drill that into his head to tell him that I'm not expecting you to win the game. You just go and have fun, and funnily enough, you'll see the results start coming and that's why I believe he has a much better strike rate at the international level rather than at the IPL level because he's just one of the many batters. He's playing alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the others, so he just goes out there and expresses himself," Manjrekar added.

Topics mentioned in this article

KL Rahul Sanjay Manjrekar Lucknow Super Giants Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2022 Cricket