Rohit Sharma labels KL Rahul's Test career as 'up and down': The future is in his hands

Since his debut in December 2014, KL Rahul has only played 50 Test matches, which seems quite low considering he has been a consistent presence in the Indian cricket team for a long time. Despite his excellent performances, injuries have plagued his career, preventing him from showcasing his skills on the field. This year, Rahul suffered a hamstring injury during the first Test against England in January, which limited his appearances for India to just two matches. Despite these setbacks, Rahul remains a key player in the team and is someone who is considered indispensable by the selectors.

However, cut to 2024, when a plethora of youngsters are breathing down the necks of their competition for a place in India's XI, Rahul is likely to get the nod ahead of young Sarfaraz Khan for the first Bangladesh Test starting Thursday in Chennai. Sidelined from India's T20I squad, the next 10 matches hold the utmost significance in Rahul's Test career, which India captain Rohit Sharma defined to be full of 'ups and downs'. That doesn't mean Rohit is critical of Rahul. In fact, if anything, Rohit backs Rahul's abilities to flourish in Tests.

"There's only a handful of cricketers in the world who have had a very smooth ride. I'm talking about since the time cricket started. Only a few cricketers had no issues all their life. It was all good. So everyone has an up and down career. I think the best thing you have to do at that point in time is understand yourself and what is expected out of me. What do I need to bring to the table for the team," Rohit told the media on Tuesday while addressing Rahul's series of setbacks.

"I think with KL the kind of quality he has, everyone knows about it. I can only talk about since I started captaining. The kind of messaging that was given to him from our side was very simple that we wanted him to play all games. We want him to best out of him and it is our duty as well. It's important that we give him that clear message that this is what we expect out of you and I think we have done that."

Rahul has eight centuries in Tests – five of which have come across England, Australia and South Africa combined. Rohit, meanwhile, has just one century in SENA nation – against England in 2021. And yet, Rahul, as Aakash Chopra recently mentioned, lives in the shadows of Rohit and Virat Kohli. Before getting injured, Rahul had played a couple of clutch knocks for India in Tests. With 520 runs for Lucknow Super Giant in the IPL, Rahul looked to be getting his form back, but scores of 0 and 31 against Sri Lanka wasn't the comeback he was hoping for. Ten years after his Test debut, Rahul stands at a career crossroads, his future direction depending entirely on his own choices.

"He has played some great knocks. He got a hundred in South Africa, got an 80 in Hyderabad before getting injured. Unfortunately, he didn't play any of the games after that. Look, it's there for us to see. The guy has got the talent and it's important that we give him clear messages every time we get the opportunity. I hope he continues from where he left in Hyderabad. He's got the game to play spin, seamers. I don't see a reason why he cannot flourish in Test cricket. The opportunities are there now. Spending so much time in international cricket, it's up to him how he wants to take his career forward," mentioned Rohit.