IND vs ENG: Rathour backs under-fire Rahul as T20I opener

KL Rahul has got the backing of batting coach Vikram Rathour who believes that the India opener is just a knock away from getting back into form.

Mar Wood celebrates with England teammates after dismissing KL Rahul during the third T20I.

India batting coach Vikram Rathour threw his weight around a struggling K.L. Rahul, who has scored just one run in the three matches of the T20 series so far.

“Anybody can have a lean phase. KL (Rahul) was our best batsman in T20s last year. He had an average of 45, with a strike rate of around 145. Three failures does not change the fact that Rahul was our best T20 batsman last year. This is the time when we need to support him as a team. One good knock will help him get back in form,” Rathour said on Tuesday.

 

In all three matches so far, the team batting first has lost. Rathour believes that batting first at the Narendra Modi Stadium poses a challenge.

“The pitch has been difficult to assess. The bounce is sticky when batting first. Today also we saw some variable bounce. It has been tough, but having already played three games here, we hope to do better in the next two matches,” Rathour said.