'It's overrated': KL Rahul reiterates stance on T20 strike-rate

KL Rahul has lost his place as vice-captain in India's limited overs and Tests sides after a string of low scores in both formats in the past six months. Rahul's axing in the Test side came in India' ongoing home series against Australia. The 30-year-old was replaced by Shubman Gill in the third Test, leading to speculation as to whether Rahul has lost his place in the team altogether.

Rahul has often been criticised in T20 cricket for his low strike rates. In 72 T20Is, he has scored 2265 runs at a strike rate of 139.12 while his overall strike rate in the shortest format stands at 136.93 in 203 matches. Rahul had stated earlier that he doesn't believe strike rates to be as important as they are made out to be in the shortest format and on Tuesday, he reiterated that stance.

"I think the strike rate is overrated. But it depends upon the demand, like if you chase 140 – you don't need to go with 200 strike rate – it depends upon the current situation," said Rahul at the jersey launch for Lucknow Super Giants, whom he will captain once again in the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In his last 10 Test innings, Rahul averaged a dismal 12.5 with no score above 25. His sequence of scores read 8, 10, 12, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, 17, and 1, before he was dropped for the third Test.

LSG revealed their jersey for the new season, with the colours being unveiled by Rahul, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, owner of LSG Sanjeev Goenka and team mentor Gautam Gambhir. The prominent colour of the jersey is dark blue, with strips of red on each side. This jersey is a striking contrast from its predecessor. LSG will hope that this darker variation brings them the much-needed X factor this season. Before the LSG jersey became the centre of attraction, a fashion show was hosted just before the unveiling ceremony. To top it off some of the LSG players took part in that show, showcasing their sense of fashion and glamour. Ravi Bishnoi, Jaydev Unadkat, Deepak Hooda, Avesh Khan, and finally the LSG skipper KL Rahul walked on the ramp in colours which were similar to the jersey.

After the unveiling ceremony Gambhir, Rahul and Goenka talked about what can be expected from LSG this season. Team mentor Gambhir emphasized on the fact that consistency will be the key for LSG. The conditions will be different from last season. Thus, adaptability will play a key role in producing a result in their favour.