KL Rahul's numbers as Test opener 'not acceptable', says Dinesh Karthik

KL Rahul has had a forgettable year in Test cricket. In eight innings, he scored just 137 runs with one half-century, averaging only 17.12. 57 of those runs were scored in the two Tests he played against Bangladesh. And even though he led the team to a 2-0 series whitewash, there have been strong criticisms on his performance. 

Senior India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has been among the critics, who has rather pointed out numbers from Rahul's disappointing Test career to issue a brutal warning to the batter with the home series against Australia around the corner.

Rahul has been India's main stay opener for a while now alongside Rohit Sharma and had in fact put on a stunning show against England last year in the four Tests India played as part of the 2021 series. 

However, following a disappointing outing in Bangladesh, Karthik, in conversation with Cricbuzz, pointed out that Rahul has only averaged in mid-30s, despite playing over 40 Tests, which is among the lowest in the Indian Test cricket.

"I would give KL those couple of Test matches, but if things don't go KL Rahul's way… The one thing that does go against him is the fact that he has played over 40 Tests and his average is just mid-30s. That is not acceptable for an opener. That is one of the lowest among Indian players for sure, who have played 35 Test matches," he said.

India's next Test assignment will be a home series against Australia starting February 3 onwards. Karthik feels that if Rahul cannot score big hundreds in the contest, he might just permanently pave the way for young Shumban Gill in the India XI.

"That is something that he needs to definitely work on. That will be on his mind. If he wants to cement his place in the Test team, he needs to get a couple of hundreds against Australia. Otherwise, you can definitely see a change, with Shubman Gill doing so well," he added.

The Australia series will be India's final contest in their 2021/23 WTC cycle.