Australian pacer Scott Boland is eager to capitalize on KL Rahul’s recent struggles as they prepare for their upcoming match in the four-day A-Team game in Melbourne. Boland aims to apply pressure on the Indian batter ahead of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Both Rahul and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel have arrived early in Australia to represent India A in this crucial encounter.
Reflecting on his previous experiences, Scott Boland mentioned, “I was lucky to bowl to him in a Test over in India a couple of years ago, but it’ll be nice to play against him in our backyard.” KL Rahul, known for his promising debut in Australia back in 2015 when he scored 110 runs at Sydney, has had a difficult time since, averaging just 20.77 over four Test matches on Australian soil.
Scott Boland expressed confidence in his ability to exploit Rahul’s current vulnerabilities, stating, “He’s a world-class player, but someone I think we can get on top of pretty early and hopefully stay on top of him for the majority of the summer.”
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KL Rahul’s recent performance has been disappointing; he was dropped from India’s eleven after a lacklustre outing in the first Test against New Zealand, where he managed scores of 0 and 12.
This downturn continues a troubling trend for KL Rahul, who has only scored two fifties in his last nine innings across series against South Africa, England, Bangladesh, and New Zealand since his century at Centurion in December 2023. However, he could be recalled to the squad if captain Rohit Sharma misses the first Test in Perth, starting November 22, due to personal commitments.
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Despite India’s recent 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand, Scott Boland believes the Indian team has the experience necessary to bounce back. He noted, “There’s so much more bounce here, more seam. The way they’ll structure their team in Australia will be completely different to what you see over in India.” This insight underscores the challenges that await both teams in the upcoming series.
