Harbhajan backs KL Rahul amid backlash, says 'he is still a top player'

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has lent his support to out-of-form KL Rahul amid the uproar over his ongoing struggles with the bat, requesting everyone to leave the 30-year-old batter alone and backing him to make a strong comeback.

Rahul is going through a lean patch in Test cricket recently. The right-handed batter has only scored one fifty in the last six Test matches he has played for India. In the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy, he has made scores of 20, 17, and 1 in the first two Tests.

Despite his poor run in the recent matches, Rahul is still getting backed by the team management even if an in-form Shubhman Gill is sitting out, which has invited heavy criticism from the former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad and fans as well.

Harbhajan took to Twitter and asked fans to keep faith in the star opener. "Can we leave @klrahul alone guys? He hasn't done any crime. He is still a top player. He will come back strong. we all go thru such patches in international cricket. he is not the first one and last one. so please respect the fact that he is our own player and have faith," tweeted Singh.

Harbhajan's reaction came at a time when former Indian cricketers Prasad and Aakash Chopra are engaged in a Twitter war over Rahul's place in the team even after a slump in his batting. Prasad has constantly criticized Rahul for his poor run of form that led to a war of words with Chopra, who tried to defend the right hander from the former pacer's criticism.