When KL Rahul is in full flow, he looks a class apart. But his problem is he lacks consistency. For that reason he has been in and out of the Indian team. In fact, more out than in. The good thing about him is that he is very flexible — capable of batting at any position. This, and his form in the IPL ensured him a berth in the World Cup squad.

When chief selector MSK Prasad announced the squad for the World Cup, he had earmarked Rahul as a back-up opener for Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. That surely narrowed down his utility in the team, especially as Prasad strongly felt that Vijay Shankar was an ideal choice at No. 4.