Rohit backs struggling KL Rahul: 'We want him to go out and play his game'

India captain Rohit Sharma has backed struggling KL Rahul, saying the opening batter has potential and he will "get an extended run."

Rahul has failed to cross the 20-run mark in the first two Tests against Australia as he has scores of 17, 1, and 20. In India's last four Tests, two against Bangladesh and two against Australia, Rahul has not scored a single fifty. The Karnataka batter did not have a particularly good 2022 as well. He managed just one fifty in eight innings, scoring a total of 137 runs at 17.12.

Speaking in a post-match conference, India skipper Rohit supported Rahul's spot in the Indian side by reminding his centuries in England and South Africa.

"Of late, there has been a lot of talk about his batting. For us, as team management, we always look at the potential of any individual, not just KL. I was asked in the past about a lot of players. If a guy has potential, he will get an extended run.

"Not just KL. If you look at the couple of hundreds he got, especially at Lord's, batting on that damp pitch. Centurion was another win. Both came in India winning both games. That's the potential he has," Rohit told reporters.

Speaking of what sort of talk has been had with Rahul, the current vice-captain of India's Test team, Rohit said, "Obviously, of late, there have been a lot of talks. But, from our side, it was clear that we want him to go out and play his game and do what he can do the best, that we have seen him do over the years.

"Of course, when you are playing on pitches like these, you need to find your method of scoring runs. As I said, different individuals are part of these teams and they will have different methods of scoring runs. Find your own methods of doing this. We are not going to look into what one individual is doing, but rather what the entire team is doing. This is an important series for us, a big one, and that's my thought on KL."

Rahul Dravid: KL Rahul has quality and class

Meanwhile, Rahul received the needed support from India head coach Rahul Dravid too, who said his fellow Karnataka cricketer "needs to trust his processes."

"I think he needs to trust his processes. This is just a phase, he has been one of our most successful overseas openers. He's got hundreds in South Africa and England, we'll continue to back him.

"I believe he has the quality and class to come out of this. It is great working with this unit, managing formats is the most difficult part. But there's not a lot of technical coaching, just simple conversations and challenging them, and giving them a pat on the back when they do well," added Dravid.

Australia set a target of mere 115 runs for Team India on Day 3 of the Delhi Test on Sunday. In a post-match interview, when Rohit was asked what he thought was a turning point in the game, the Indian captain pointed out at the partnerships between Virat Kohli-Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin-Axar Patel.

"There are a lot of moments across four innings, but I thought the partnership between Jadeja and Virat, and then Axar-Ash was brilliant. I think that's a big help because of the balance we have created for ourselves," said Rohit.

Our bowlers are masters in these conditions, says Rohit Sharma

In the first session of Day 3 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Indian bowlers bagged nine wickets before the Aussies were bowled out for 113 runs. All the wickets were shared between the Indian spin duo of Jadeja and Ashwin, who finished with seven and three wickets respectively in the third innings.

"Fantastic result for us. Looking at how things were yesterday, the way we came back and finished our job was great. Even if we were just one run behind, I felt we were trailing because we had to bat last. I think the bowlers were fantastic, to take 9 wickets today morning is commendable. And then we finished the job with the bat. On a pitch like this, people need to do something different. We were prepared for them coming out and playing shots.

"Our idea was to not panic and just hit the right areas, waiting for the mistake to happen and that's exactly what happened. Every game you play in this type of weather, there is some moisture. What I noticed is there is a lot to offer in the first session, but as it goes on it gets slower and there isn't enough bite. So our focus was keeping it tight in the morning, and these guys are the masters of bowling in these conditions," added Rohit.

With a comfortable victory, once again within three days, Team India went 2-0 up in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Pat Cummins-led Australia. The third Test is scheduled to begin on March 1 at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore.