Drop KL Rahul if he fails against Bangladesh, says Ravi Shastri

KL Rahul’s form has been one of the biggest worries for Team India in the T20 World Cup.

The India opener has just not showed his usual fluency so far.

He has failed in all his 3 matches so far, dragging one onto his stumps for 4 against Pakistan, getting LBW for 9 against the Netherlands and edging to the slips for 9 against South Africa.

Moreover, he has also taken a while to get started and conceded many dot balls in every match.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who is known for his blunt views, said that India will be forced to think of other options if Rahul doesn’t score runs against Bangladesh.

“He needs to get some runs, he needs to spend time.”

“Perhaps tactically change his game. Sometimes on pitches that offer extra bounce, you might have to shift gears, adapt to conditions, give yourself 8 balls, exactly what Virat did against Pakistan and also against.”

“He’s such a fluent player, it’ll come back. If he has another off-day, they might have to think otherwise.”, said Shastri.

Interestingly, India head coach Rahul Dravid doesn’t agree with Shastri.

“We don’t get swayed by what is said outside”, said Dravid.

“We have the confidence and belief in our players, especially in this T20 format, which is such a high-risk format that you are asking people to play a high-risk brand of cricket.”

“He is suited for these conditions, these pitches.”

Rahul has played 43 Tests, 45 one-dayers and 69 T20 matches for India since making his five-day debut in 2014.

He averages just under 38 in the T20 format with a strike rate of 138.75.

If KL Rahul is dropped, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant can take up the opening duties.