'Rahul jab bhi khelte unki team har jathi he' - Fans react as Venkatesh Prasad calls LSG's loss to GT 'bottling a run chase'

Venkatesh Prasad & KL Rahul (Source: Twitter)

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered a humiliating defeat in a low-scoring thriller against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday. With 30 needed off the final six overs and eight wickets in hand, the hosts slumped to 128-7 and lost by seven runs. LSG skipper KL Rahul hit a half-century in the process, but his strike rate has come under scrutiny once again following the defeat.

Batting first after winning the toss, GT got off to a decent start and were in a good position at 72-2 in 10.3 overs. However, LSG bowlers dragged back in the second half, restricting the visitors to a modest score of 135-6. LSG looked good to chase down the target at the end of 15 overs, but the GT bowlers pulled things back at the right moment to register a dramatic win at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.

Rahul led the chase with a quick half-century but was completely out of place when he reached that mark. The right-hander brought up his half-century off 37 balls, but he has since lowered his pace, scoring just 18 runs off the last 23 deliveries he has faced. LSG batted for the entire 20 overs, but GT bowlers were outstanding, denying them a single boundary after the 13th.

After their terrible defeat, Rahul said: "We were well ahead in the game and I wasn't really trying to bat deep, I still wanted to play my shots, take on the bowlers, but they bowled well in that 2-3 over period by Noor and Jayant. We perhaps should have taken a few more chances with wickets in hand."

Brainless from KL: Venkatesh Prasad slams KL Rahul

Mohit Sharma's last-over brilliance when the opponents needed 12 runs, also played a significant role in GT's victory. One of the season's most startling defeats has prompted fans and cricket experts to conduct an in-depth analysis of the game, with the bulk of them criticising the LSG captain for his poor knock.

Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, who has been harshly critical of Rahul's selection in the Indian Test team, did not leave the Karnataka player this time either.

“Bottling a run chase when 30 needed off 35 balls with 9 wickets in hand requires some baffling batting. Happened with Punjab in 2020 on few ocassions losing games they should have won easily. As brilliant as Guj were with ball & Hardik smart with his captaincy, brainless from Lko,” he said.

LCG had every chance to top the table, but the loss to GT kept them in second place with eight points. GT, on the other hand, has eight points and is now fourth on the table. They will next face Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, while LSG will play the Punjab Kings on April 28.

Here's how fans reacted to Venkatesh Prasad's criticism:

Brainless from KL*. Not a surprise though. He’s a liability for any team.

— Tushar Gupta (@Tushar15_) April 22, 2023

What do you expect if KL Rahul is leading the team???

— Anish khosla (@anish_khosla) April 22, 2023

Whenever Rahul plays his team loses. Period.

— Piyush (@Piyush53407949) April 22, 2023

KL Rahul should definitely increase his strike rate. His 50 is not going to help his team in any way if his strike rate is not 150.

— Vibinraj (@vibin1021) April 22, 2023

65 off 56 in a T20 game doesn't hold any value. A very bad knock and captaincy by KL Rahul. This game clearly told how should be the captaincy and how not.

— Shankar Mandagere (@MeShankara) April 22, 2023

Fraudster was batting..This was expected

— sumit vohra (@sumitvohra) April 22, 2023

Award goes to Kele Rahul for snatching lose from the jaws of Victory.

— Shivam Tripathi (@_imShiv) April 22, 2023

Happiest person on this planet today 🤣

— Praveen 💫 (@praveenkumar_77) April 22, 2023

KL Rahul ki batting is too much boring 💯

— Er Archit Pandey (@ArchitP54931960) April 22, 2023