Now that KL Rahul has been sacked as Vice-Captain, will Shubman Gill play IND vs AUS 3rd Test?

Poor form and criticism has finally resulted in KL Rahul being dropping as the Vice-Captain of the Indian Test team. The decision to relieve Rahul of his responsibility clearly means that the 31-year-old batter can now easily be replaced with Shubman Gill, the alternative opening batter in the squad who has had a terrific run in 2023, but has been on the bench in the Test side.

In the last 7 Test innings, KL Rahul could only score 175 runs. In his last 11 Test innings, Rahul has gone past 25 only once, scoring 50, 8, 12, 10, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, 17 and 1.

Rahul's position in the team had been on the lurch for the past some time as the batter's poor form failed to justify his spot in the team. Rahul has played 46 Test matches till date averaging 34.07 and many experts feel that the batter should be replaced with someone who is in form. 

Rahul has averaged 31.75 in the last 24 months in 11 Tests and he has been a subject of wide criticism.

Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma's backing: Despite the severe criticism KL Rahul has faced, Head Coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have backed him. After India's second Test win against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Delhi, Dravid did say that the "there have been talks within the team" regarding KL Rahul's performance. 

• Dravid, at the same time, also deposed his faith in the batter. "I think he just needs to trust his processes. This is just a phase, he has been one of our most successful overseas openers. He's got hundreds in South Africa and England, we'll continue to back him. I believe he has the quality and class to come out of this. It is great working with this unit, managing formats, is the most difficult part. But there's a lot of technical coaching just simple conversations and challenging them, and giving a pat on the back when they do well," Dravid said to Star Sports.
• Skipper Rohit Sharma also took the same stand and said that if a player has the potential, he will undoubtedly be given a long run. " Of late, there has been lot of talking about his batting, but, for us as a team, we just look at the potential of any individual, not just KL. If a guy has a potential, he will get that extended run."

BCCI under pressure: After KL Rahul's poor run with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a lot of criticism has started coming from all quarters. Former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad had already criticised the selection of KL Rahul in the team saying that an average of 34 in 46 Tests in 8 years of international cricket does not qualify KL Rahul to be selected in the team.

I have a lot of regard for KL Rahul’s talent and ability, but sadly his performances have been well below par. A test average of 34 after 46 tests and more than 8 years in international cricket is ordinary. Can’t think of many who have been given so many chances. Especially..cont

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) February 11, 2023

• Prasad received support from a lot of cricket fans who said that players like Shubman Gill are more deserving of the chance and they should also get the spot in the team in place of Rahul.

After Rahul's fourth consecutive flop show in the second Test against Australia, where he was dismissed at 1 off 3 balls, the selectors decided to make some changes. The senior selection committee flew to Delhi to pick the team for the third and fourth Tests. And the decision to drop KL Rahul as Vice-Captain of the team was taken during the meeting.

Will KL Rahul play the third Test? Selection of KL Rahul in the playing XI of the third Test against Australia in Indore looks unlikely. Now that he has been removed as the Vice-Captain, he can be replaced by Shubman Gill, who is in a very good form. Most likely, Rahul can be rested for the third and fourth Test against Australia.