“Seemed an inning without purpose”: Former India cricketer on KL Rahul’s knock against Bangladesh

New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticised middle-order batter, KL Rahul following his disappointing performance on the first day of the Chennai Test on Thursday.

Rahul was sent back to the pavillion after scoring just 16 runs off 52 balls which came at a strike rate of 30.77. He was dismissed to right-arm spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the 43rd over of the inning when the team score was 144. His wicket was the sixth one to fall.

“Completely understandable that they went for KL Rahul, It was just about experience, class, and recent form – the century in South Africa and an 80 in the only Test he played against England. But this is KL Rahul’s story, It is amazing that he plays a brilliant innings at the Test level and the next two to three innings, it seems like he has got a pair in the last Test. Even when you saw him bat today, it almost seemed an inning without purpose,” Manjrekar said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Further, Manjrekar stated that there is a temperament problem for Rahul during the time of batting and because of which he is failing to score runs for his side in the longest format of the game.

“That is more of a temperamental problem with KL Rahul that has plagued him for 50 Test matches because the numbers that he has, while he has got some brilliant hundreds, an average of 34 with quite a few 100s in testing conditions tells you about his temperament, which we got a look at today as well,” the former right-hand batter added.

Recapping the first day of play, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl in the Chennai Test, the first of the two-match series with India.

India’s top-order collapsed, and the team was struggling at 34/3. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (56 in 118 balls, with nine fours) and Rishabh Pant (39 in 52 balls, with six fours) stitched a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket, bringing India into the game. But India were reduced to 144/6 and Ashwin and Jadeja (86* in 117 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes) stitched an unbeaten 195-run partnership, ending the day at 339/6.

Hasan Mahmud (4/58) was the top bowler for Bangladesh, destroying the Indian top order, removing skipper Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0) and Virat Kohli (6).