KL Rahul draws criticism for his poor run: His stats
KL Rahul guided India to a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh in the absence of the injured Rohit Sharma. Although India stumbled in the run-chase in Dhaka, they got home eventually. While Rahul's decision to drop Kuldeep Yadav made headlines, the former is also under the scanner due to his batting form. He recorded scores of 10, 2, 22, and 23 in the series.
Why does this story matter?
Rahul has been India's mainstay opener in Test and T20I cricket. However, he bats in the middle order in 50-over cricket, with Shikhar Dhawan occupying the opening slot. Rahul returned from an injury layoff in the Zimbabwe ODI series in August. While Rahul has been playing impactful knocks across formats, he is yet to deliver in crunch situations.
Rahul's performance in 2022
Rahul slammed 822 runs from 30 internationals at an average of 25.68 in 2022. The tally includes nine half-centuries. His average in Tests: 17.12, ODIs: 27.88, and T20Is: 28.93. Rahul's strike rate in the three formats read 36.14, 80.19, and 126.53. He scored 339 runs from 13 matches at 21.18 away from home. Rahul averaged 44.60 at home this year.
Rahul last scored a Test fifty in January
Rahul last scored a Test ton in the Centurion Test (December 26, 2021). His Test scores since then read 23, 50, 8, 12, 10, 22, 23, 10, and 2. He has not crossed the 25-run mark since January this year.
What about his ODI form?
Rahul scored 251 runs from 10 ODIs in 2022. His only two fifties in the format this year came in Bangladesh and South Africa, respectively. Notably, Rahul played nine of these ODIs in foreign conditions. His average further plunged (19.16) while leading in seven ODIs.
How did Rahul fare in T20 WC?
Rahul struggled for form in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup as he couldn't reach double digits in his first three outings. He recorded scores of 4,9, and 9. He found his mojo against Bangladesh, scoring a 32-ball 50. Rahul slammed another half-century in India's following assignment (51 vs Zimbabwe). He was dismissed for a run-a-ball five in the all-important India-England semi-final clash.
How has Rahul fared against prominent teams in T20 WC?
Rahul, who debuted in the tournament last year, has so far played five games against the top-eight ranked teams in the T20 WC. He averages 7.8 in these contests. His scores in these games read 3(8) vs Pakistan (Dubai), 18(16) vs New Zealand (Dubai), 4(8) vs Pakistan (Melbourne), 9(14) vs South Africa (Perth), and 5(5) vs England (Adelaide).
Second-most runs in IPL 2022
It is worth noting that Rahul was the second-highest run-scorer of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He slammed 616 runs from 15 matches at an average of 51.33. Rahul recorded a strike rate of 135.38 in the 2022 season. He finished behind Jos Buttler in terms of runs (863). Rahul led Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs.
