Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 reasons why India should continue to back KL Rahul

India have their noses in front after the second day of the first Test at Adelaide. After posting 250 courtesy a brilliant century from Cheteshwar Pujara, the visitors engaged in a battle with the Aussie batsmen - battle that kept swinging like a pendulum. But at the end of the day, it had tilted ever so slightly in favor of Virat Kohli's men.

Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers and removed three Aussie batsmen, while Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets each. Travis Head led a strong fightback and is unbeaten on 61, with Australia on 191/7 after 88 overs.

India's innings culminated on the first ball of Day 2 as Josh Hazlewood removed Mohammed Shami. India finished off with 250 runs, most of which were scored by Pujara.

But another strong talking point from the first day was the continuation of the poor form of KL Rahul, the Indian opener, who got dismissed for just 2 runs. Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at Rahul, and said that he should be dropped if he doesn't fire in the second innings.

Many other cricketing legends have been talking about this too, and Rahul will have his task cut out when he goes out to bat on Day 3.

India have been backing Rahul for a long time, but the opener hasn't been repaying their faith. If he continues in the same fashion, they might withdraw their support.

That said, I believe Rahul doesn't deserve to be dropped yet. Here are three reasons why India should continue to back him:

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#3 He's in the metamorphosis process and needs to be given time

There comes a time in every batsman's career where he matures and starts being regarded as a senior player in the team. Sachin Tendulkar got to that stage very early in his career, while for Virat Kohli it was his brilliant tour Down Under in 2014-15 that turned out to be his breakthrough point.

Rahul hasn't reached that stage yet, but he is currently in his metamorphosis process and should be given more opportunities to prove himself. India should wait for a couple more matches at least wait before deciding to drop him.

There's no doubt that there are talented players like Hanuma Vihari who are waiting for an opportunity, but Rahul is regarded as the next big thing in Indian cricket and such comments don't come without a lot of talent.

The Indian team needs to back him, but not go soft on him either. They must make him fight for his place while giving him the chance to do so.

Many experts have been right in saying that it's high time he starts performing. But at the same time, he needs to be given a bit of breathing space and some time.

#2- Proven match-winner

KL Rahul

Rahul has won many games for his national team as well as his IPL franchise. He is the sort of player who you want to see in form, because that means he'll be the toughest batsman to bowl to.

There have been several innings where he has launched himself after settling down or after surviving the opening spell. He hasn't done that in the last few matches, and is tentative right from the start, but that doesn't mean he has lost the ability to pile up big runs.

India must give him some more time to get back in form because when on song, he's one player who can win matches single-handedly. The selectors must remember that this was where he started his career, and this same place might bring his form back - provided he gets time.

Rahul needs to perform in the second innings, but India need to persist with him if, say, he gets off to a start but gets out without scoring a 50. Right now, he's a top batsman who's just low on confidence, and with the right kind of support he can start winning matches for his team again.

#1 A future candidate for captaincy

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Five

There is one question that has been on the minds of many members of the cricketing world: who will succeed Virat Kohli as India's captain?

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, the two senior players in the side, are as old as Kohli himself and aren't likely to play longer than him. And the younger set of players consists of players like Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and KL Rahul.

Rahul is older than the other two and has played more international cricket than them, but can still play for longer than Kohli.

It was in Australia where Kohli matured and turned into an all-time great, and India must give Rahul more chances so that he can undergo a similar transformation. He's a very smart cricketer who is a part-time keeper too, and is well-versed with setting the field.

Rahul was of valuable help in managing the young KXIP team last year, and assisted Ravichandran Ashwin well. We can certainly imagine Rahul as a mainstay in all the formats a few years later, if not now. So India need to back him to see if he can tap his potential and become the star that they want him to be.

I'm not suggesting they need to tolerate all his failures, but they need to measure his performances not just by his scores but also by the intent he shows. He has looked out of sorts in his last few innings, but if he shows signs of confidence in the second innings at Adelaide, India need to stick with him.