T20 World Cup: KL Rahul is on a sticky wicket

If KL Rahul does well against the Netherlands, which he is expected to, he will be called a 'minnow basher'.

KL Rahul's form is a cause for concern for a section of the Indian team's fans. Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul failed against Pakistan on Sunday but the latter copped more scrutiny on social media since Sharma is undroppable as captain of the team.

KL Rahul is getting bashed for scoring against Minnows only. He has been doing that for 5 years now.

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But what about BCCI's Captain Rohit Sharma who is choking for 15 years now? He hardly gets criticism. Gets away everytime. — Sai Krishna (@SaiKingkohli) October 25, 2022

There is a reputation that KL Rahul only performs against the less-fancied sides in multi-nation tournaments, and in bilateral series, while failing against the bigger teams. But the bad news for the stylish opener is that the notion is backed by his stats.

Not for the first time KL Rahul has struggled to play against quality teams in multi-nation tournaments.. A poor record overall..#IndvsPak#T20WorldCuppic.twitter.com/4aAHojP14L — Cric8fanatic (@cric8fanatic) October 23, 2022

He has impressive overall personal records in T20 Asia Cups and T20 World Cups.

His Asia Cup reads as follows:

Matches: 5; Runs: 132; Highest Score: 62; Average: 26.4; Strike Rate: 122.22; 50s: 1

His T20 World Cup stats are even more impressive:

Matches: 6; Runs: 198; Highest Score: 69; Average: 39.60; Strike Rate: 144.66; 50s: 3

But dig deeper and a slightly different picture emerges.

In his five Asia Cup outings, his top two highest scores came against Afghanistan (62) and Hong Kong (36), averaging a healthy 49.

Never underestimate the ability of KL RAHUL to disappoint in important games #INDvsPAKpic.twitter.com/0mFKIydbks

— Cricpedia (@_Cricpedia) October 23, 2022

Read more: When KL Rahul feels he has got nothing to lose, he can even strike at 180: Shane Watson 

In his remaining three outings against the bigger sides (Pakistan and Sri Lanka) he scored a combined 34 runs, including a duck against Pakistan, with a meagre average of 11.33.

The story in T20 World Cups follows a similar pattern. His three 50+ scores came against Afghanistan (69), Namibia (54*), and Scotland (50), giving him an average of 86.5.

His combined average against Pakistan and New Zealand in 2021, and against Pakistan on Sunday, is a worrying 8.33 with scores of 3, 18, and 4 respectively.

This narrative puts KL Rahul between a rock and a hard place. If he does well against the Netherlands, which he is expected to, he will be called a 'minnow basher'.

Yes we always believe our KLassy #KLRahul I will and I always support you @klrahul#KLRahulpic.twitter.com/VL18jEP2xz — Bala bhai (@CaptainKLRahul) October 24, 2022

And if he doesn't, his spot in the team could be in question with Rishabh Pant lurking around the corner.