Twitter reactions on Lokesh Rahul’s dismissal: Twitter wants the opening batsman to be dropped post his lean patch.
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During the first day of the first Test of the ongoing India’s tour of Australia, India opening batsman Lokesh Rahul became the first Indian batsman to be dismissed cheaply, starting a spree which saw three more batsmen walking back to the pavilion in the first session.
Opening the batting with Murali Vijay, Rahul played a loose drive on the last ball of just the second over. Post the Josh Hazlewood delivery taking the edge of Rahul’s bat, it landed safely in Australia opening batsman Aaron Finch’s hands at third slip as the Indian batsman got out for 2 (8).
Since the start of 2018, Rahul has returned with Test scores of 10, 4, 0, 16, 54, DNB, 4, 13, 8, 10, 23, 36, 19, 0, 37, 149, 0, DNB, 4, 33* and 2. All in all, he has scored 422 runs in 19 innings at an average of 23.44 and a strike rate of 59.85 this year. While such paltry numbers would usually call for anyone’s axing, Rahul has been enjoying the benefit of possessing a lot of potential.
There were widespread calls of Rahul being dropped ahead of the ongoing Test. However, an injury to Prithvi Shaw said of the otherwise. For a 26-year old opener playing his 32nd Test match, there are a lot many expectations from Rahul.
In which was the first Test of a vital Test series, Rahul was expected to at least spend some time in the middle, get his eye in and then look to up the ante. That being said, it was only the second over of the match when Rahul looked to fancy a drive outside the off-stump.
Fans on social media platform Twitter were livid with Rahul, calling for him to be dropped from India’s Test playing XI. Rahul would be looking to make amends in the second innings for without which the suggestions to leave him out are only going to increase.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on Rahul below: