'If Only KL Rahul Understood This...,' Ex-India Cricketer's Jibe At Lucknow Captain After Ajinkya Rahane's Blazing Performance Against KKR

IPL

The captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), KL Rahul, is being criticized for his lack of intent and inability to increase the tempo of the game, especially after playing a number of balls for a few innings in a row. After a failed chase against the Gujarat Titans, his critics have only increased. In that match, Rahul started well in the 136-run chase but got slow, and the Super Giants failed to score 31 off the remaining 36 deliveries. Former India cricketer Dodda Ganesh saw this as an opportunity to take a dig at Rahul after watching Ajinkya Rahane flourish for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Rahane, who was not expected to make the first XI for CSK, has made a permanent place in the line-up with a couple of impactful cameos and two match-winning knocks, including one against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 23. Rahane has shown intent to take on the bowlers from the outset and play scoring shots, without necessarily getting set first. He has played the ball on its merit and taken risks whenever necessary. After playing over 100 balls, Rahane has the best strike rate in the competition, striking at 199.

Rahane __ he has shown that with intent you can do wonders. If only KL Rahul understood this _ #IPL2023

— Dodda Ganesh | _____ _____ (@doddaganesha) April 23, 2023

Praising Rahane for his approach, Ganesh wrote, "Rahane, he has shown that with intent you can do wonders. If only KL Rahul understood this."

In contrast to Rahane, KL Rahul's scoring rate has been below-par, at 114. However, with a few games in hand, the Super Giants skipper will be eager to right a few of the wrongs. Meanwhile, in the Kolkata match, Rahane capitalized on a good Eden Gardens surface and made merry after the openers gave a good start. He stitched a quickfire 85-run partnership with Shivam Dube, providing CSK's scoring rate a booster shot.

The Men in Yellow ended up with a massive score of 235 runs on the board, which was eventually out of KKR's reach. Despite Jason Roy's quickfire 61 off 26 in the middle, the home side fell short by 49 runs and now has lost four matches in a row.