India, New Delhi, November 20: In the first Test in the next five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia, right-hander KL Rahul is not the best choice for India’s opening position, according to former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, because he now lacks confidence in himself.

Optus Stadium in Perth will host the first Test of the much awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on November 22.

“KL Rahul isn’t exactly lighting the stage on fire as an opening choice. Based on the facts, you have to feel sorry for KL Rahul right now. His skill as a player is something I adore. ESPNcricinfo cited Manjrekar as stating, “He seems a little lacking in confidence, and you don’t want someone like him batting at the top of the order since a lot of the momentum of the innings is established at the start numbers 1, 2, and 3.

Manjrekar went on to say that he believes Rahul will be a valuable member of the squad at number six and bat well there.

“I go by KL Rahul because of the effort he has done in South Africa and down the line. With a softer Kookaburra ball, he was batting at number six. If he must bat with the tailenders, I think he will be excellent because he has the huge game. Therefore, I think KL is better used, and there are more opportunities for KL Rahul to contribute to the team in that role,” he said.

During Friday’s intra-squad match simulation for India, Rahul exited the nets early after being struck on the elbow by a ball from Prasidh Krishna. According to ESPNCricinfo, KL was forced to leave the field to get medical care after the blow, and he did not return for Saturday’s training session when India’s top batsmen were being struck at the crease.

During a nearly three-hour training session on Sunday, Rahul performed well in the nets. Some squad members practiced on the center wicket and nets of the WACA field after two days of match simulation, which pitted India’s starting lineup against a lineup made up of fringe and India A players.

Before doing a quick exercise in the nets, Rahul spent one hour there. He did not seem to be in any pain, but his fluency has decreased since the elbow struck during the opener with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Following the announcement that Gill would not be available for the Perth Test, Rahul’s fitness state improved. While training in the slides on the second practice day, Gill injured his thumb.

The second Test, which will use the day-night format, will be played under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10 after the series opener in Perth on November 22. Next, from December 14 to 18, fans will focus on the third Test at The Gabba in Brisbane.

The concluding part of the series will be the classic Boxing Day Test, which will take place at Melbourne’s famous Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26 to 30.

The Sydney Cricket Ground will host the fifth and final Test from January 3–7, providing an entertaining conclusion to a highly anticipated series.

Teams for the first test in Perth:

Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, and Rohit Sharma (c) represent India.

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc are from Australia.