KL Rahul struggled in both the Tests as he could not score even a single half century in his four visits to the crease. His highest score was 44, in the first innings of the first Test in North Sound. He followed that with 38, 13 and six
New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has suggested a new Test opening partner for Mayank Agarwal after the failures of KL Rahul in the recently concluded two-match series against the West Indies.
Rahul struggled in both the Tests as he could not score even a single half century in his four visits to the crease. His highest score was 44, in the first innings of the first Test in North Sound. He followed that with 38, 13 and six.
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The 27-year-old has so far played 36 Tests, scoring 2,006 runs. His highest is 199.
Writing in The Times of India, Ganguly has said Rohit Sharma should be included in the Test XI as an opener. The Mumbai batsman warmed the benches in both the Tests against the West Indies as India completed a 2-0 whitewash.
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"After the World Cup, India embarked on the tour of West Indies with a few areas and the role of a few cricketers as well to be ironed out,” Ganguly, who was instrumental in making Virender Sehwag a Test opener, wrote.
"The opening still remains an area to work on. Mayank Agarwal looks good but will need a few more opportunities. His partner, KL Rahul, though, has flattered to deceive and that creates an opening at the top. I had suggested earlier about trying Rohit Sharma as an opener in Test cricket and I still believe that he needs to be given an opportunity because he is too good a player to be left out in the cold,” said the former India skipper.
"After a fantastic World Cup, I believe he will be itching to grab the opportunity to open in Tests. With Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari settling in nicely, there is not much left to play around in the middle order,” he added.
Rohit has played 27 Tests for India. However, he has failed to cement his place in the team. India’s next Test assignment is at home, against South Africa. The first of the three Tests starts in Visakhapatnam on October 2.
Will captain Virat Kohli and the team management listen to Ganguly?
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