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[Saba Sports News] KL Rahul had an impressive World Cup 2023 campaign, proving to be a formidable presence in India’s middle order.
He scored 452 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.33, but his performance in the final against Australia drew criticism. Despite a challenging pitch, his 66 runs off 107 balls were seen as too slow by some passionate Indian cricket fans.
After India lost the final, Rahul’s social media accounts were bombarded with negative comments. Initially, he was prepared to handle the trolling, but it soon became overwhelming. “I used to be good with handling trolling. I didn’t care much, but I was younger then.
A couple of years back, I was exposed to a lot of trolling. If I sat, I got trolled; if I stood, I got trolled,” Rahul shared.
Following the World Cup, Rahul was dropped from the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies. Determined to secure a spot in the middle order and solve India’s number four problem, he played in that position for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024.
However, the Ekana Stadium, LSG’s home ground, posed its own challenges with bowler-friendly pitches that demanded a more cautious approach. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson was racking up runs in Jaipur.
Although Samson was included in the T20 World Cup squad, the return of Rishabh Pant meant that neither Samson nor Rahul found a place in the playing XI.