Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad has commended KL Rahul for his outstanding performance in India’s opening game of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia. He also clarified his previous criticism of Rahul.
KL Rahul’s stellar comeback and match winning knock
Rahul, who made a strong comeback during the Asia Cup 2023 after recovering from thigh surgery, received praise from Prasad. The 31-year-old scored 169 runs in three innings with an impressive average of 84.50, including an unbeaten century against Pakistan. In the CWC 2023 game against Australia on October 8, Rahul played a pivotal role, contributing an unbeaten 97 runs at Chepauk. The Karnataka stalwart won the Player of the Match award for his high quality knock under pressure.
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Clarification by Venkatesh Prasad
Prasad clarified that his earlier criticism was specifically related to Rahul’s performance in Test cricket and not his performance in ODIs. He had previously criticized the Indian team management for persistently including Rahul despite his Test cricket struggles.
“Well, look whatever little criticism I had about KL Rahul, it was about Test matches, not in ODIs. I’ve cleared that aspect with you,”” Prasad said to CNN News18.
The 54-year-old acknowledged the challenges India faced in the fixture, especially after losing early wickets. He applauded Rahul and Virat Kohli for their patient partnership, which played a vital role in India’s victory.
“Having said that, that partnership was important. In the mid-show, I spoke about it’s not going to be easy to bat., it’s going to be a challenging total to chase and I had said the Indian batters need to show a lot of patience and build partnerships, and that is exactly what KL Rahul and Virat Kohli did,” the Bengaluru-born cricketer concluded.
India’s next World Cup match is scheduled against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 11.
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