Was criticism of KL Rahul's performances justified? Revisiting India wicketkeeper-batter's run since 2022

KL Rahul has made a fantastic comeback into the Indian team from a thigh injury that he picked up during the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year.

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Rahul has been designated as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in Rishabh Pant’s absence and was always going to get his spot in the Indian middle order once back to full fitness, no matter how many runs Ishan Kishan scored in his absence and how many catches he pulled off and stumpings he effected behind the stumps.

That was indeed the case in the Asia Cup, where Rahul made an emphatic return after months with a match-winning hundred in the Super Four clash against Pakistan in Colombo. Rahul not only underlined the value that he brings to the Indian middle-order, he also repaid the faith that the team leadership had put in him all this time.

Read | KL Rahul makes a triumphant return after months of uncertainty 

And if anyone still had any doubts over his place in the side, Rahul calmly answered them with a knock for the ages — an unbeaten 97 against Australia in a tricky run-chase in Chennai on Sunday. A knock that came at a time when India were reduced to 2/3 and were facing an uphill battle despite having bowled Australia out for a modest 199.

Rahul would forge a match-winning 165-run stand with Virat Kohli, who played the aggressor-in-chief in the partnership and produced yet another gem in a tough run chase and would ensure his team got over the line after Kohli was dismissed.

Read | KL Rahul gives you stability and confidence, says Paras Mhambrey

The 31-year-old Karnataka cricketer will no doubt be pleased by his performances for the Men in Blue of late. Rahul, however, has also made it a point to express his feelings about all the criticism that he had been subjected to of late, especially for his batting.

Speaking to Star Sports after his match-winning knock, Rahul said that it was “painful” for him to go through all the criticism that had been coming in from fans in recent years, and felt his performances weren’t as bad as they were made to be.

“There was a lot of criticism, people were commenting on my performance in every match and situation. I wasn’t able to understand why it was happening, because my performance wasn’t that bad. So, that was very painful.

“I know the pain of going through an injury and the process of coming back initially, and then, I had an injury during the IPL, and when I found out I’ll be losing four-five months, being a part of the World Cup was also not a 100 per cent sure. So, that was a very difficult time,” Rahul said on Monday.

Is the criticism warranted though? We take a more detailed look at Rahul’s performances since the start of 2022, especially in the ODI format:

— In ODIs starting from January 2022, Rahul has made 24 appearances in the 50-over format for India, scoring 879 runs at an average of 51.70, with a highest score of an unbeaten 111.

—This included a three-match ODI series in South Africa in January last year in which he had served as the captain, where he scored 76 runs in three outings at an average slightly above 25.

— Rahul had a fairly ordinary 2022 in the ODI format, scoring 251 runs at an average a shade under 28, collecting two half-centuries along the way.

— His numbers in 2022 weren’t great in Tests either, scoring 137 runs at an average of 17.12. Slightly better in T20Is though, with Rahul scoring 434 runs at an average of 28.93 with a strike rate of 126.53.

— Rahul’s numbers, however, dramatically improved in 2023 in the ODI format. The wicketkeeper-batter has scored 628 runs in 14 outings so far at an average of 78.50 — collecting a century and five fifties along the way.

— That average goes above 100 if you take into account Rahul’s ODI appearance since his comeback in the Asia Cup (402 runs in eight games; average: 100.5; strike rate: 92.41).

— Rahul, however, is yet to play a T20I this year and has played just two Tests — in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy where he scored a combined 38 runs in the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi.

In conclusion, Rahul isn’t too wrong when he says his performances weren’t too bad, especially if you take into account some of his more recent performances in the 50-over format.

He might have struggled in patches last year, but has come a long way since then and it will take an extended lean patch for the team management to think of parting ways with him.