KL Rahul has been India’s standout batter in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series so far. With 235 runs in three Tests, no one apart from the demonic Travis Head has scored more runs in the series than Rahul. A man whose place in the side has often been questioned in the past, Rahul has silenced critics during the Australia tour, showing resilience and grit and earning a permanent spot at the top of the order. Rahul’s former teammate Dinesh Karthik has given complete backing to him, and urged fans to not forget Rahul’s ability in case he has a poorer series in the future.

“I believe, in KL Rahul, we have the opener that India needs. I hope they continue to back him. If, in one year’s time, there’s a series where he has a couple of low scores, I hope people don’t have a very short memory. We need to value what he has done and what he is doing today,” Dinesh Karthik said, speaking on Cricbuzz.

“People often forget that many Test cricketers are judged on what they do abroad. And Rahul has been as good as anyone who has played for the country over an extended period,” Karthik added.

Besides Travis Head and Ravindra Jadeja (the latter has played only one game in the series), Rahul boasts the best batting average among any batter, be it Indian or Australian.

“If you take any Indian team planning to tour abroad, he will be one of the first names on that list because you know exactly what you will get from him,” Karthik said further.

Amid a lot of criticism, Rahul showed excellent patience on a tough pitch, before being harshly given out on 26 in the first innings of the first Test. In the second innings, in better batting conditions, Rahul played a superb support cast to Yashasvi Jaiswal with 77.

In the second Test, Rahul put up yet another gritty 37 while the rest of the Indian top order struggled. In the third Test, Rahul played an invaluable 84, top-scoring for the team and helping India avoid crucially avoid a follow-on.