Gambhir bats for Rahul

Indian player KL Rahul received support from head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the second Test against New Zealand. | Photo: MURALI KUMAR K

The format doesn’t matter. Even the team he represents doesn’t matter sometimes. But KL Rahul continues to incur the wrath of anonymous fans and ex-cricketers all the time.

At a time when the Rahul vs Sarfaraz Khan conundrum is the highlight of the build-up to India’s crucial second Test against New Zealand, the team’s head coach has stood behind the enigmatic bat like a rock.

“Social media doesn’t matter at all. You don’t pick players on social media or for that matter even what the pundits say,” Gambhir said when asked about Rahul being criticized from all quarters, especially on social media.

“It’s very important what the team management thinks and what the leadership group thinks. At the end of the day everyone is judged, international cricket is about being judged.”

No doubt, having been outclassed by Sarfaraz, Rahul will be under pressure to do well. But the fact that multiple team managements have shown faith in him in various roles also shows the immense ability that Rahul possesses with the willow.

Despite being plagued by various injuries, Rahul’s recent Test form has been anything but ordinary. A total of 339 runs in 10 innings at 37.67 over the last 12 months is not bad to sign off a player. But the fact that other contenders are knocking on the door means Rahul’s time is running out before he boards the plane to Australia, full of confidence.

“I feel like he’s hitting really well. I think he had a decent knock in Kanpur (68, against Bangladesh), obviously on a difficult wicket. He would also know that he wants to score big runs, he has the ability to score big runs, that’s why he is backed by the team management,” Gambhir said.

This as a gift to the team management will continue to insist with Rahul over Sarfaraz, at least for the second Test. Can he rest his faith by winning big?