Former India player Aakash Chopra has praised KL Rahul for silencing his critics with a stunning century in the second innings of the first Test against England. He said that people were questioning why he was retained when other senior players had bid goodbye to Test cricket as well. Rahul scored 137 runs off 247 deliveries as India posted 364 in their second innings on Day 4 (Monday, June 23) in Leeds as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “There were a lot of discussions about this player as well, that why has he been kept when everyone has left, as he doesn’t score that many runs. It’s not too far back in history when people were waiting for him to go. There is no doubt that he is the most trolled guy, that he plays so slow, never scores runs that benefit the team, plays for himself, flatters to deceive in Test cricket, and many others are better than him, without actually thinking whether the guy gets his due.”

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However, Aakash Chopra also stated that the Indian team wasn’t swayed by what the critics were saying about KL Rahul as well.

“Good things happen to good people. When you have good feelings in your heart, the team sees it. The team sees what the guy is doing for them and whether he is fulfilling the role given to him. The world kept trolling, but the team never thought that something needed to be done with this player,” he said.

“In fact, they thought that they had been a little unfair to him, as KL Rahul’s life story has been that no one thought what was right for him. Everyone thought what was right for the others, and then he was given the leftovers, as he would manage. The Indian team has supported him constantly,” Aakash Chopra concluded.