There was a lot of praise for KL Rahul after he scored an unbeaten 75 to help the Indian cricket team beat the Australians’ 189-run target at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Only a few weeks ago, the middle-order batter had received criticism from all sides for his performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Venkatesh Prasad, a former Indian cricketer who has been one of the batter’s most outspoken critics in recent weeks, offered perhaps the most surprising praise. The ex-India pacer has frequently advocated for Rahul’s removal from the side.

“Excellent composure under pressure and a brilliant innings by KL Rahul. Top knock. Great support by Ravindra Jadeja and a good win for India.”

On Friday, however, he tweeted.

Just a month back, Prasad had posted numerous strings on the miniature contributing to a blog webpage, presenting a defence for why Rahul should be dropped from the Indian group in Tests

“I have a lot of regard for KL Rahul’s talent and ability, but sadly his performances have been well below-par. A Test average of 34 after 46 Tests and more than 8 years in international cricket is ordinary. Can’t think of many who have been given so many chances. Some are just lucky to be given chances endlessly till they succeed while some aren’t allowed to,”

he tweeted.

Prasad had asserted that Rahul’s selection to the team was the result of favoritism.

“And to make matters worse, Rahul is the designated vice-captain… Rahul’s selection is not based on performance but favoritism . Has been consistently inconsistent and for someone who has been around for 8 years not converted potential into performances. One of the reasons why many ex-cricketers aren’t vocal despite seeing such favoritism… is the chances of losing out on potential IPL gigs. They wouldn’t want to rub the captain of a franchise wrong, as in today’s age most people like yes men and blind approvers. Often well wishers are your best critics but times have changed & people don’t want to be told the truth.”

He had gone one to add.

Rahul was ultimately dropped for the third and fourth Tests against Australia at Indore and Ahmedabad.