Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag sings praises of K L Rahul as he donned wicketkeeping gloves throughout the ODI series against Australia in the absence of an injured Rishabh Pant. Since he is impressed with Rahul’s performance behind the stumps in limited overs cricket, he backed him and urged the team management to stick to the Karnataka player to be the finisher as well as the wicket-keeper in the team. He feels that Indian cricket team selectors may not persist with Rahul in case he does not put his best foot forward.
While throwing light on this matter, he spoke about the Dhoni’s captaincy style and how every player got adequate chances to prove their prowess under his leadership. He said, "If KL Rahul fails four times batting at No.5, the current Indian team management will look to change his slot. However, the same wasn't the case with Dhoni, who knew how important it is to back players at such positions, having himself gone through the hard grind”.
Sehwag emphasized, "With Dhoni as captain, there was greater clarity with regards to each player's position in the batting unit”.
“He had an eye for talent and had identified individuals who would take Indian cricket forward", he added.
Sehwag shares his views about how selectors need to be more patient with the middle-order batsmen and bring potential candidates in the spotlight.
He further said, “With the top-order finding it easier for a while in limited-over cricket, it is those in the middle-order who need backing from the captain”.
He believes that players need to be given time and space to learn and become accomplished players. He said that he himself batted in the middle-order before opening and learned from his mistakes. “You don't become a big player sitting outside on the bench”, he concluded.
