Virat Kohli on KL Rahul being part of Australia tour

KL Rahul

That the Indians thrashed the West Indies 2-0 and the fact that both Tests were over in five and a half days, would have boosted Virat Kohli's team morale after their 1-4 defeat in England. But have they ticked all boxes before the forthcoming Australia tour?

The kind of contribution the team management would have expected from a new opening combination of Prithvi Shaw and KL Rahul may not have been fully achieved. Debutant Shaw, who bagged the man-of-the-series award, has sealed his place as the first choice opener for the forthcoming Australia Test tour in December. But Rahul's disappointing show on the placid tracks of Rajkot and Uppal may force the team management and selectors to rethink their opening strategy for the Australia Tests.

Since the selectors dumped the opening pair of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan after their shambolic show in England, it's a tricky situation as far as the opening position is concerned. The team management is expected to show faith in Rahul Down Under, but if the Bangalorean is unable to come out of his bad patch, an untested Mayank Agarwal could find himself proving his worth in the difficult Australian conditions. The Indian team management probably missed a golden opportunity to try out Agarwal against the West Indies.

Meanwhile, skipper Virat Kohli was happy with the performances of young guns Shaw and Rishabh Pant's performances. "I know the conditions were not as challenging, but in Test cricket, the first and most important thing is confidence and understanding that you can score runs at this level. From that point of view, [I am] very happy that these guys have taken their chances so well," Kohli said in Sunday's presser.

The two Tests against West Indies did no good to improve Rahul's case. A duck in Rajkot and then a four-run knock in the first innings of the second Test here suggest he is struggling though he looked composed when India chased 72 to win on Day Three on Sunday. Rahul scored an unbeaten 33 as the hosts won by 10 wickets.

Kohli is confident that Rahul will bounce back Down Under. "I am sure KL will look at his errors and look to rectify them. There is no doubt about his attitude and how he goes about his game. He is very positive and is someone who also appreciates people telling him his fault which is a good quality. It's good he spent some time at the crease, stayed not out and looked more composed than the first two innings. I'm sure he would like to build on that," said Kohli.

Also Read: Umesh should be in playing XI in Australia, says Virat Kohli

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