NEW DELHI: Throwing his weight behind an out of form KL Rahul, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir backed the middle order batsman to come good in the second Test against New Zealand in Pune.
Addressing a press conference in Pune on the eve of the second Test on Wednesday, Gambhir said that the team management is looking to back Rahul to strike form.
On Rahul facing criticism on social media for his poor form specially in the first Test in Bengaluru, Gambhir said that it’s not important what’s on social media.
Gambhir said, “Social media doesn’t decide playing XI. It is not important what social media or experts think, it is important what team management thinks.”
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Already trailing 0-1 in the three-match series, India need a win, not just in a bid to clinch the series but also to keep them in the hunt for a World Test Championship final spot.
Gambhir backed Rahul adding, “He had a decent knock in a tough Kanpur pitch. Yes, he would want to score big runs. And this team management is looking to back him.”
Sarfaraz Khan‘s first Test ton has left India weighing a problem of plenty, with Shubman Gill set to return in the second match and management backing Rahul, who has struggled with patchy batting form.
“There’s certainly no concerns about KL,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had said on Tuesday.
“He’s batting nicely, he’s in a good mental space, but yeah, we’re certainly going to have to fit seven pieces into six spots for this Test and look at the pitch now and decide what’s going to be best for the team,” Doeschate added.