KL is a fabulous player: Sunil Gavaskar backs Indian opener to fire against Bangladesh

KL Rahul hasn’t been to the strongest of starts in the ongoing T20 World Cup with the first three contests failing to bring out the best in him. However, the kind of batter that he has always been, it is needless to say that it is just a matter of time before the Indian opener bounces back.

Ahead of India’s battle against Bangladesh at Adelaide, Virat Kohli had a long chat with KL Rahul and the former Indian captain picked up intricate points that can be a major uplift for the LSG captain in the forthcoming contest. Picking up on that conversation, Sunil Gavaskar chipped in with a few priceless words for KL and was clear about his belief in the Indian opener.

Talking to India Today, Gavaskar said, “He's (Kohli) the senior player, has bags of runs in every format, this has been his favourite ground, and he'll be able to tell him what to do. I think he was trying to say that the ball outside off stump could cause trouble to anybody early in the innings when you are not certain about your off stump. You are not certain where the ball is gonna move. You tend to play at deliveries which you would otherwise leave and in this format, you can't afford to leave deliveries. He's got out a couple of times dragging the ball onto his stumps, at Perth, the extra bounce did him but he's a class act, let's not forget that.”

Rahul is yet to cross double figures in the ongoing T20 World Cup and Gavaskar believes that this could be due to a lack of self-belief. The former Indian captain has always been an ardent admirer of the hard-hitting opener and hopes for him to come back sharper than ever.

Gavaskar added, “Every time I see Rahul not scoring runs, I get the impression, he does not actually know the kind of ability he has. He doesn't seem to believe in himself. He is a fabulous player and has loads of ability. He's got to start saying 'I'm gonna go and knock the stuffing out of the ball'. He's got to have that kind of attitude. I want him to swagger. It will make a whole difference.”