Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour is being slammed online after he threw his weight behind under-fire opener KL Rahul, saying that the Karnataka batter cannot be dropped based on two poor performances. It is pertinent to note that KL Rahul has flopped in both the matches India has played so far in the T20 World Cup. While he made a disappointing 4 off 8 balls against Pakistan last weekend, KL Rahul was dismissed for 9 off 12 deliveries against the Netherlands on Thursday. However, more than his failures, his intent is being questioned by both fans and cricket pundits. More often than not KL Rahul has looked tentative in the middle, something former cricketers have pointed out as the prime reason behind his undoing in the prestigious competition Down Under. But Vikram Rathour, who was speaking ahead of India's match against South Africa on Sunday, stated that the idea of Rishabh Pant's inclusion in the playing XI was yet to cross his mind.

“No. We aren't really not thinking about that,” Vikram Rathour said in response to a question on Rishabh Pant's inclusion in the side.”I don't think that's a good enough sample size anyway. He's been batting really well and also batted well in practice games. So we aren't changing anything,” Vikram Rathour said in a press conference on Saturday.

“Only 11 can play unfortunately and I know and understand Rishabh is a fantastic player and we know he can be destructive against any opposition,” Vikram Rathour added.

“The message to him is be ready and your chance might come anytime. He should be mentally and physically ready. He is doing that and you might have seen him practising regularly. I am sure he will be ready whenever opportunity comes,” Vikram Rathour elaborated.

“Every player has his own way of playing and constituting their innings. A good partnership is one where each one complement the other. If Rahul is in good form then he can also be the aggressor,” the India batting coach explained.

Vikram Rathour's remarks categorically hinted at Rishabh Pant's non-inclusion in Rohit Sharma‘s playing XI. However, his comments didn't go down well with Indian cricket fans with several netizens demanding his sacking for his observations.

Some Indian cricket supporters went as far as to say that KL Rahul was being favored because he had the backing of someone influential in the BCCI.

On the other hand, a few declared that KL Rahul wasn't a “class player” as being touted and Rishabh Pant was a much better player than him in every format of the game.

They opined that Rishabh Pant's ability to play aggressive cricket will help India find early momentum against strong teams like South Africa.

Additionally, a left and right batting combination at the top of the order will pose problems for opposition teams, considering the other opener Rohit Sharma was a right-hander.

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Earlier, former India opener Wasim Jaffer backed KL Rahul to come good in the remaining fixtures of the T20 World Cup. He declared that KL Rahul was a world-class player but frequent injuries have hurt his batting.

“I think KL Rahul is a much better player than the numbers suggest. If you remember during our previous visit to Australia, he was in top form and after that he got injured and then again he had to come back. Therefore, it a bit difficult to maintain the same rhythm,” Wasim Jaffer told CricTracker

“You know he has been hit by injuries a couple of times. That could probably be one of the reasons, but I mean obviously the numbers are there and he would like to improve those numbers. He is a phenomenal player in Test cricket and he is even phenomenal in T20Is and One Day Internationals,” Wasim Jaffer concluded.

Two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir had a different take on the matter. While others want KL Rahul to be replaced with Rishabh Pant, Gautam Gambhir doesn't agree with them and instead wished to include the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter in place of Dinesh Karthik in the team.

“In my playing XI, Rishabh Pant should play at No.5, Hardik Pandya at No.6, and Axar Patel at No.7. But what we have seen in the practice matches is that Dinesh Karthik will play. But a player is not picked to play just 10 balls. You should pick a player so that he can bat at No.5 or 6. But Dinesh Karthik has not shown that intention,” Gautam Gambhir told Zee News.

“He and the team management have shown the intention that he will bat only in the last 2-3 overs and that can be dangerous because in Australia, if you lose early wickets, you might have to send in Axar Patel early because you also wouldn't want to expose Hardik early. That is why I picked Pant in my playing XI. But again, that won't happen,” he signed off.