The numbers of KL Rahul are unacceptable. He only achieves averages in 40 tests’: Karthik issues a severe warning labeled “Shubman Gill”
Rachel Ellis
Updated on April 02, 2026
Dinesh Karthik is one of the critics who has harshly warned Rahul ahead of the upcoming home series against Australia by pointing to numbers from his disappointing Test career. In Test cricket, KL Rahul has had a forgettable year. He only gave up 137 runs in eight innings with one home run and an ERA of 17.12 In the two Test matches he played against Bangladesh, he scored 57 of those runs. And despite the fact that he led the team to a 2-0 series victory, his performance has been harshly criticized.
Dinesh Karthik, a senior Indian cricketer, has been one of the critics. He has pointed to numbers from Rahul’s disappointing Test career to harshly warn the batter ahead of the home series against Australia.
Along with Rohit Sharma, Rahul has been India’s primary stay opener for some time. In the four Tests India played as part of the 2021 series, he put on a stunning performance against England.
However, Karthik discussed Rahul’s low average in a conversation with Cricbuzz following a disappointing performance in Bangladesh. Despite playing over 40 Tests, Rahul’s average is among the lowest in Indian Test cricket. If things don’t work out for KL Rahul, I’d give him those two Test matches, but… Even though he has played in over 40 Test matches, his average is still only in the mid-30s. That is not a suitable opening.
‘KL Rahul’s numbers aren’t acceptable. In 40 Tests he averages only…’: Karthik issues brutal ‘Shubman Gill’ warning
— Icc Cricket Guru (@365_cricket) December 26, 2022
That is undoubtedly one of the lowest scores among Indian players who have participated in 35 Test matches,” he stated. Beginning on February 3, India’s next Test match will be against Australia at home. Karthik is of the opinion that if Rahul does not score a lot of hundreds in the match, he might just make room for young Shumban Gill to play for India forever.
That is something he absolutely needs to work on. That will be at the forefront of his thoughts. He needs to score a few hundred against Australia to secure his spot in the Test team. “With Shubman Gill’s success, you can definitely see a change elsewhere,” he added. The final match in India’s 2021/23 WTC cycle will be the Australia series.
