Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his candid opinion regarding KL Rahul's erratic performance in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The prominent Indian batsman began the series strongly, achieving half-centuries in both Perth and Brisbane. However, he was unable to build on this momentum, concluding the series with a total of 276 runs at an average of 30.67. Despite being demoted to the number three position during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, he retained his opening position for the final Test.

Manjrekar was critical of Rahul's lacklustre performances in the last two Tests, indicating that this pattern has persisted for several years. 

"I believe we now have a clear understanding of KL Rahul's capabilities. At the beginning of the series, we discussed him as India's premier batsman. He appeared solid, particularly after scoring 80 in Brisbane, leading us to believe that this could be a turning point in his career. Yet, we witnessed his struggles once again," Manjrekar remarked on ESPNCricinfo.

Despite possessing a strong technique and a diverse array of shots, Rahul has frequently faced scrutiny for his inconsistency, as evidenced by his Test average of 33.58 after 58 matches, which does not reflect his evident talent.

Nevertheless, Manjrekar is of the opinion that Rahul will likely maintain his position in the Test squad for the upcoming series against England. 

"I do not foresee him being excluded for the England series, especially since India is still in search of a reliable opener. They are hesitant to rely on [Abhimanyu] Easwaran, and given that KL Rahul performed well during his last appearance, I anticipate that the opening combination will remain unchanged unless Rohit Sharma intervenes," he concluded.

Yashasvi Jaiswal truly represented the most significant development to emerge

The former Mumbai cricketer expressed significant admiration for young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who demonstrated resilience throughout the series despite experiencing a few setbacks. Jaiswal finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the series, amassing a total of 391 runs, trailing only Travis Head.

"Remarkable. Additionally, he managed to tackle the challenge posed by Mitchell Starc and his swinging deliveries. His performance was undoubtedly the most positive development. Facing such a formidable attack on conducive pitches, achieving scores of 80 and 160 is an outstanding accomplishment. This represents a substantial advantage for India," he remarked.

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