Former cricketer Dodda Ganesh condemns online abuse targeting KL Rahul after Lord's defeat
Dodda Ganesh argues that wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul is unfairly singled out for criticism despite a strong recent record, following a high-pressure chase at Lord's.
Former Indian pacer Dodda Ganesh has publicly criticised the wave of online abuse directed at wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul following India’s narrow defeat to England in the series-deciding One Day International at Lord’s. The intervention addresses a surge in social media scrutiny that Ganesh argues disproportionately targets the batter despite his consistent recent performance.
India’s chase of England’s 387-run total, anchored by Ben Duckett’s innings, began promisingly with captain Rohit Sharma’s 137 off 110 balls. However, the departure of Sharma left the side at 260 for 2, requiring 128 runs from the final 68 balls. The situation deteriorated further when Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer fell quickly for modest scores, leaving India needing 84 runs from the final six overs when Rahul arrived at the crease alongside Virat Kohli.
After Kohli was dismissed by Sam Curran, Rahul attempted to accelerate the scoring rate, opening Jofra Archer’s over with two boundaries before being bowled for 12. The dismissal triggered a wave of criticism on social media platform X, where users questioned whether Rahul’s efforts were being ignored, with one user sarcastically asking if the hashtag #ThankYouKL was trending.
Ganesh responded directly to the narrative, arguing that the game was effectively lost before Rahul’s arrival. He highlighted that Rahul’s recent form, which includes three fifty-plus scores in his last ten innings, justifies his position in the side. Ganesh pointed to an unbeaten 112 against New Zealand and scores of 66 and 60 against South Africa as evidence that the backlash is unjustified.
"The reason KL Rahul faces so much hate and bullying online despite his unreal numbers and versatility in ODIs, is accounts like these," Ganesh wrote. He mocked the tendency to scapegoat Rahul, suggesting that under such intense scrutiny, the batter could be blamed for "Indian diplomatic relations with the rest of the world."
The former pacer emphasised that blaming Rahul for a near-impossible equation, rather than examining the middle-order collapse, reflects lazy analysis. Ganesh’s comments underscore a broader concern regarding the treatment of players in the digital age, where individual performances are often isolated from the broader context of team dynamics and match conditions.
