Though India ended 2022 on a bright note with a hard-fought three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second Test at Dhaka, the questions around stand-in captain KL Rahul’s form with the bat cannot be ignored. Rahul averaged just 14.25 across four Test innings—scoring 22, 23, 10 and 2—in the 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh.

Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik believes Rahul’s average in Test cricket (34.26 from 45 Tests since his debut in 2014) is unacceptable for an opener in the longest format of the game. “I would give KL those couple of Test matches, but if things don’t go KL his way; the one thing that does go against him is the fact that he has played over 40 Tests and his average is just [in the] mid-30s. That is not acceptable for an opener. That is one of the lowest among Indian players, who have played 35 Test matches,” Karthik was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. India’s next assignment in the longest format will be against Australia in a four-match Test series, starting February 3 in Nagpur.