"I don't think....."- India's batting coach Vikram Rathour makes a bold claim on KL Rahul's form amid 1st Test in Nagpur
Then Australia has also conceded a first-inning lead of 144 runs so far. At the end of the second day, the hosts are at 321/7 with the pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel is at the crease.
Jadeja is at 66 not out while Axar is not out at 52 runs to put India in the driver's seat. The first two days have been great for India. However, apart from dominance, there were a few hiccups for the hosts.
Some of the Indian batters struggled on the pitch, including Indian vice captain KL Rahul, who is going through a rough patch. He played a rusty inning of 20 runs and became the first victim of debutant Todd Murphy. Notably, there were many questions on Rahul's inclusion in the game because in-form Shubham Gill was waiting in the wings.
However, Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour has come up in defence of Rahul. During the press conference after the end of play on the second day, Rathour was asked about Rahul's form. He was asked whether the 30-year-old is lucky to play in the team despite his poor form.
To which the batting coach replied, "I won't be able to comment on that. To he fai to KL, he (Rahul) has scored two hundreds in last 10 Tests - one in England and other in South Africa and also has a couple of fifties. So yeah, I don't think we are there."
Rahul scored a hundred in August 2021 against England, while he scored another hundred in January 2022 against South Africa. But in the last nine innings, he has scored only one half-century and is averaging just 17.12 before the first test in Nagpur.