'We were talking about him being India’s best batter, then you saw failures again' - Sanjay Manjrekar on KL Rahul's inconsistent BGT run

KL Rahul, on his fourth tour Down Under, was expected to secure a better tally than 276 runs in 10 innings. However, that was not to be for the senior player, as apart from a couple of half-centuries, he did not contribute much. Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, was critical in assessing Rahul's performances against Australia. 

“I think now we know what KL Rahul is about. We were talking about him being India’s best batter at the start of the series. He looked so compact, then got that 80 (84) in Brisbane as well. We thought this might just change his career in the right direction. Then, you saw the failures again," stated Manjrekar, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

I don’t see him being left out for England: Manjrekar

Despite his inconsistent run against Australia, Manjrekar reckoned that Rahul will be backed the by the selectors and will be one of the openers for the five-match Test series against England. 

“I don’t see him being left out for England considering that India still are looking for an opener. They don’t want to go to [Abhimanyu] Easwaran, and KL Rahul, the last time he was there, played well. So, I see that opening combination continuing, unless Rohit Sharma comes in and throws spanner in the works," he added.

Rahul has always been touted as one of the classiest red-ball players. But despite being backed on multiple instances, he has not yet peaked in Test cricket for India. Having been a part of the red-ball setup since 2014, he has an underwhelming average of 33.57.

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With Indian cricket going through a transitional phase, it will be intriguing to see what the future holds for Rahul in the longest format.