India Vs New Zealand 2nd Test: KL Rahul Dropped From Playing XI As Shubman Gill Returns

Things have not been going well for Indian batsman KL Rahul lately. Matters worsened when he was benched for the second Test match against New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday. (Day 1 Blog | More Cricket News)

India made three changes in the playing XI after defeat in the first Test match in Bengaluru and added Shubman Gill in place of Rahul. Gill missed the first match due to neck stiffness. Washington Sundar and Akash Deep replaced Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj in the Indian playing XI.

KL Rahul has not been consistent for a long time and he also lost his place in the white-ball cricket due to this reason. However, he recently made a 68 off 43 in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh where India won the match despite heavy rains on the first three days.

Head Coach Gautam Gambhir had supported KL Rahul ahead of the second Test match, but his absence from the playing XI raises concerns about the team management's view on KL Rahul's position. He has been batting at no. 6 for the last couple of years in Test cricket.

"You don't pick players on social media because of social media or for that matter even what the experts are saying," Gambhir said while addressing Rahul's form on the eve of the second Test in Pune. "What the team management thinks and what the leadership group thinks is very, very important. Ultimately, everyone is judged.

"International cricket is all about being judged, to be honest, because everyone's performance will be judged eventually. But I feel that he [Rahul] is batting really well. Obviously, he has had a decent knock in Kanpur [against Bangladesh] obviously, on a difficult wicket. And obviously, he played according to the plans as well. And I am sure, I think, he would also know that he wants to score big runs and he has that capability of scoring runs. That's why he has been backed by the team management."

Rahul scored 0 & 12 in the first Test match in Bengaluru. With Sarfaraz Khan hitting his maiden ton and a fit Shubamn Gill available, the team management must have considered giving Rahul a break.