IND Vs BAN, 1st Test: Sanjay Manjrekar Raises Concerns Over KL Rahul’s Temperament Following Test Struggles
Temperament issues of KL Rahul continue, as pointed out by Sanjay Manjrekar, former India cricketer after the batsman failed to get going on day one of the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
KL Rahul's Disappointing Performance Against Bangladesh
KL Rahul came into bat when India was reeling at 96/4 but managed to score only 16 off 52 balls with the stroke play distinctly discomforting.
This was Rahul's comeback match to the Test side after missing the last four games of the England series this year. He had shown promise in the first Test against England too, where he scored an impressive 86, but his performance against Bangladesh, although relatively good, would still not be within the realms of his best performance. Manjrekar has noticed this trend in the career of Rahul-this often unsettling nature at the crease despite scoring runs in the last outing.
'An Innings Without Purpose': Manjrekar On KL Rahul
“This has been the KL Rahul story. It’s amazing that he plays a brilliant innings at the Test level and the next two three innings it seems like he has got a pair in the last Test. Even when you saw him bat today, it almost seemed an innings without purpose. That can happen, it happened to me in the second half of my career where everything was internal,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
Focus On Getting More Runs Very Crucial According To Manjrekar
“I went in to bat just thinking about my technique and am I going to play the ball well, imagining a certain kind of delivery coming my way. And I’ve got to play instead of going to your instinct as a batter which I think all the other Indian batters practice that is about getting runs. Even if you’re defending looking for ones and twos,” he added.
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Manjrekar believes that Rahul's difficulties stem from his temperament, which has been a recurring issue throughout his career.
Before India vs Bangladesh Test, Kl Rahul has played 50 Test matches in his career and scored 2,863 runs with an average of 34. He has produced 345 fours and 24 sixes in Tests.
