Twitterati unhappy as KL Rahul spends the ODI series against Windies on bench

When KL Rahul broke into the limelight initially, many saw him as a proper Test batsman who can be a big hit for Indian cricket in the time to come. But the Karnataka batsman took his limited overs batting prowess to another level, which meant he was on the radar across all three formats of the game.

In recent times, the 26-year-old is struggling to score runs and his hopes of making it to the World Cup squad are slowly fading away. India managed to thrash Windies 3-1 in the ODI series which concluded on Thursday and in the five games that were played, Rahul was not roped into the XI even once.

Skipper Virat Kohli cannot be blamed for not having him in the XI as the opening combination is pretty settled and Ambati Rayudu deserved a shot at the number four position more than anyone else. With the Hyderabadi scoring a hundred and a fifty in the series, Shastri and Kohli have one less problem to deal with.

Doors closing for Rahul in ODIs?

This is way too early to say if the doors are closed for Rahul in ODIs, but the only position he thrives for is the opening slot, which is probably settled for the upcoming World Cup. As it stands, the young talent is only a third opening choice who will be considered in case of Shikhar Dhawan or Rohit Sharma‘s absence.

His previous stint at the number four slot didn’t pan out very well, but the Indian fans wanted to see a little more of him in action. There was a section of fans who clearly felt Rahul deserved a chance to play either as an opener or in place of Ambati Rayudu.

These few months before the World Cup are often quite tricky for the selectors and although there’s no disputing that Rahul is a fantastic player, there’s no way they can fit him into the current ODI setup. A lot of unhappy fans took to Twitter to express their grief and have demanded for Rahul to be roped into the XI in Australia.

Here are some of the reactions.

When you ask Kohli about inclusion of KL Rahul in Team Squad again@BCCIdomestic @cricbuzz @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/geL8zyNwqx

— charles भावकी (@charlesbhaavki) November 2, 2018

@imVkohli give chance to KL Rahul at 3 and you come on at 4th you are the only batsman who can handle any tough situation & against any bowler of world. India will salute you if you lift the 2 WC 2019 & 2023 know the importance of your wicket Nobody like you. https://t.co/GrafDaJ9Rh

— Amit#Tyagi (@AmitTya17337030) November 1, 2018

Most cricket experts and also MSD have said in the past that one player should have around 50 ODI experience before the world cup. India's present third opener KL Rahul has not had any major chance, do you think will he be in the reserves or we will see rahane back @bhogleharsha

— Divyam Paliwal (@divyam_paliwal) November 1, 2018

Have any answer why KL Rahul is always ignored by Virat Kohli

— Rajesh (@Rajesh20180430) November 1, 2018

@imVkohli Kedar Jadhav makes19 runs in each ODI match are you expecting a big inning to him in World Cup's crucial match?If yes then shame on your planning.We'll loose the WC if you give chance to 19 run player or keep 40runs player (KL Rahul)@ bench pic.twitter.com/JJuYeT1IcA

— Amit#Tyagi (@AmitTya17337030) November 1, 2018

@bhogleharsha @BCCI Why is shikhar dhwan being given an olive branch when clearly he has not been performing since long ? We have KL rahul in reserve.

— aman gupta (@pacificsparks) November 1, 2018

Gabbar flop show started; better give KL Rahul a chance to have a backup opener option

— Naveed Ansari (@Ansari_Naveed15) November 1, 2018

Doesn’t score runs against England, Australia, New Zealand anyway? Now he cannot score against West Indies also.

Drop him and get KL Rahul on board. Stop wasting Talent and Hardwork for someone who doesn’t deserves to be in the team.#INDvWI

— Prajakta Bhawsar (@ViratsFangirl18) November 1, 2018

Shikar Dhawan average series ends without a fifty in 5 ODI. Should have been rested this ODI and played KL Rahul instead #INDvWI #BCCI

— Sanjay Tank (@SanjaySTank) November 1, 2018

When Dhawan is not performing from last few matches then why KL Rahul is not in playing 11? #asktheexperts @VVSLaxman281 @cricketaakash

— Mukul Palsule (@MukulPalsule) November 1, 2018

India should really try Kl Rahul to open since Dhawan only plays in ICC Tournaments @cricbuzz #Haveyoursay

— Funnygut24 (@funnygut24) November 1, 2018

kl rahul kaha h .? jb khilna hi nhi hota ek b match use to squad m kyu rkhte ho . 😑😏

— NITIN (@gnitin4450) November 1, 2018

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