KL Rahul marked his return in ODI cricket with the Men in Blue after a hiatus of almost eight months. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper was a key member of the Indian squad that reached the ODI World Cup Final in 2023 and also was the vice-captain of the Indian team that played the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
However, Rahul was dropped from the T20I side following India’s debacle against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup, and hasn’t represented the Men in Blue in T20Is since, missing the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup in USA and the West Indies. The returning Rishabh Pant was preferred over the 32-year-old.
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Nevertheless, Rahul is back in the Indian side for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Rahul had a terrific World Cup campaign in 2023, and although India lost the final against Australia, Rahul had his fair share of important contributions, even scoring a half-century against the Aussies.
Moreover, when it comes to ODIs, Rahul averages over 50, and has a much better record as compared to Pant, who is more suited to play in the shorter format.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | SR | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 70 | 2820 | 50.35 | 87.82 | 111 |
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Why was KL Rahul dropped from the T20I side?
Rahul’s form in the recently concluded IPL season with LSG proved to be below par. The batter didn’t seem to have adapted to the ever evolving game. Although the skipper managed to score over 500 runs across the season, his poor strike-rate was heavily criticized by fans and pundits.
On the other hand, Pant marked a blistering return since his unfortunate accident in December 2022. The explosive wicket-keeper batsman was back to his best as the skipper of the Delhi Capitals. Pant played some important and entertaining knocks for DC throughout the tournament.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | SR | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KL Rahul | 14 | 520 | 37.14 | 136.13 | 82 |
| Rishabh Pant | 13 | 446 | 40.45 | 155.40 | 88* |
The clear difference between the form and approach between the two players led to the selection of Pant ahead of Rahul for the ICC Men;s T20 World Cup 2024.