“If This Doesn’t Wake Up KL Rahul…”: Ex-MI Star’s Blunt Message To Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma

The Lucknow Super Giants had one forgettable night in the IPL on Wednesday. They got thrashed by 10 wickets as SunRisers Hyderabad batters Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma launched a never-seen-before attack. They chased down a target of 166 in just 58 balls. This was the fastest successful chase for any 100+ target in the IPL. Head finished on 89* off 30 balls with a strike-rate of 296.67 while Sharma finished on 75*  in 28 balls with a strike-rate of 267.86. Compared to them, there was another senior batter in the rival camp, who looked quite subdued.

The veteran India batter, who was not picked for the T20 World Cup 2024, scored 29 off 33 balls. In the IPL 2024, KL Rahul has scored 460 in 12 matches at an average of  38.33.

In a discussion on ESPN Cricinfo, after the SRH vs LSG game, former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop suggested Rahul to play with more freedom.

“It is just loosening the shackles of your mind, really being prepared. I think he has to be prepared to say well, we may lose a couple of games, we may get rolled over as Pat Cummins has said. But if you have the resources and that’s the other thing, you have got to have the resources to play that way,” Ian Bishop said.

“You have to select well and just be brave because that’s the way the game has gone on most occasions. There are times at the Wankhede the other night, you will have a pitch that demands a little bit more circumspection for example. But generally the way the game has gone in this IPL, you have got to be able to play freely, have the resources to go there and play freely.”

Former Mumbai Indians pacer Mitchell McClenaghan, was also part of that discussion, and he said: “I think if this doesn’t wake KL up to the style of cricket he needs to play going forward to be successful and to continue to play for India, you know I don’t know what will.”

“Absolutely he can do it. I think he is got to get past, very similar to what we have seen with Virat (Kohli) you know like how you are the only person who can score runs and he’s got to go right I need to score runs and if I am going to miss out, it is okay, trust the other guys to do the job. That’s what it looks like, it looks like he is carrying the whole team on his back, thinking that if he doesn’t bat the innings, you are not going to get a score, and if he does get out, they are long way behind where they need be.”

“It is going to take a really good coaching structural management to give him the message that we are not going to drop you, even a message from the top. I don’t see any harm in Dravid (Rahul), Rohit (Sharma) and the likes actually saying we are not going to drop you if you have this intent all the time. If they can unlock that, he is one of the best players going around and he will bounce back from this,” he added.