Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach Lance Klusener has backed captain KL Rahul despite the team’s chaotic campaign in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Rahul scored 465 runs at an average of 35.77 in 13 outings, making him the highest scorer for his side, but his strikeout rate often came under scrutiny. LSG’s situation was made worse by a lack of consistency in the middle order.
“He (Rahul) was probably a little frustrated with his performance in the tournament. He had to rebuild several times. We lost wickets around him and did not allow him to play his natural game,” Klusener said on the eve of the team’s last match against Mumbai Indians.
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“It’s easy to just sit back and think, ‘Oh, he didn’t have a great tournament!’ But if you look at his numbers, they’re actually not bad at all considering the situations he had to bat for. He has been outstanding in his captaincy aspect as he is a good cricketer and has the respect of the group. His respect within the group is great… ” Klusener added.
With the team struggling, franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka publicly exploded at skipper Rahul after the team’s loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The pair later had dinner, but there was speculation about Rahul’s future at LSG. Klusener did not want to talk about that episode again, but the former South African all-rounder admitted that Rahul did not have much support from the middle order.
“When he (Rahul) looks back, he might feel a bit frustrated about the runs he scored. But given the circumstances, he had to spend a lot of time rebuilding while hitting. The surrounding batting team wasn’t very kind either,” Klusener said.
