Sourav Ganguly wants KL Rahul to be given an extended run at number 4

The selection policy of Team India has come under the scanner after a heavy defeat in the series decider at Headingley on Tuesday. KL Rahul was dropped only after a solitary failure at Lord’s and many believe he deserved to play in the most important game of the series. Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly also feels that the Men in Blue should look after Rahul who is being dropped far too often without any reason.

Rahul began England tour with a bang as he scored a century in the first T20 International in the run chase. However, the stylish batsman failed to make a mark in the following games. At the Old Trafford, he came out to bat when the team had almost won the game and then in the steep run-chase at the Home of Cricket, he bagged a duck. He might have made the difference in Leeds but instead, Dinesh Karthik was included in the side.

Rahane can also play

Sourav Ganguly, while speaking in the post-match show of the broadcaster, had no hesitation in picking KL Rahul as his number 4 batsman. He also went on to say that the team’s overreliance on top 3 was a huge problem and it had to be sorted out soon.

“Eyes closed, it’s KL Rahul at 4. Your top 4 have to be your best players and you’ve got to persist with them. Go and speak to KL Rahul and say, ‘I’ll give you 15 games. Just go and play.’ It’s a big issue, something that India will have to sort out. You have to have quality, England has quality,” he said.

However, Dada also didn’t rule out the chance for Ajinkya Rahane to play in the 50-overs format and felt that India should take care of two of their batsmen.

“India need to find a number 4. I think two of your best batsmen are not being looked after properly. I’m not saying it’s deliberate. Maybe it’s a mistake, maybe when you look at things from the other side you look at it differently. But it’s my opinion, from this side of the ground, (either) of those two (KL Rahul or Ajinkya Rahane) have to play at 4 because it’s too much pressure for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli,” Ganguly added.

[interaction id=”5b4ef90996df4285bbb00a08″]

Keep following CricTracker for more news and updates