Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin believes that national team coaches should work on KL Rahul’s technical flaws to help him become more consistent. Azharuddin, who is known for his elegant wrist work, feels that a player of Rahul’s talent should be able to realize his full potential. “I think consistency is the problem in KL Rahul’s case. But I think there are coaches who should rectify his flaws. In my opinion, he is a good player but consistency is missing in his game,” Azharuddin said. He went on to say that Rahul is getting out in many manners and it’s primarily poor shot selection that is causing problems.

Azharuddin also spoke about the upcoming 50-over World Cup and said that he believes that limited-overs captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be India’s premier performers. “Both are very good and classy players and they have done well in the past too, as the records say. I do believe Kohli and Rohit will do fairly well in the World Cup. In ODI format, they have always been pretty consistent,” he said.

On the topic of leadership, Azharuddin expressed his support for new T20 skipper Hardik Pandya, but expressed concern about his back injury. “Hardik has looked good as a leader and seems that he can carry the team along. But he needs to be careful about his back as he had been out for a long time. India would need Hardik, the all-rounder and we can’t afford to risk injuries. Hardik has got a young team and that’s the way forward. To forge a winning combination, it will need strong co-ordination for the upcoming T20 series,” he said.

Azharuddin also weighed in on the recent criticism faced by the Indian selectors and suggested that chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma should clear the air about certain selections to avoid ambiguity. “Definitely, Chetan is supposed to be doing at least one or two press conferences and should tell that what is the way forward for the current Indian team,” he said.

He also spoke about his role as the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association and the improvements he has been able to make in the stadium and dressing rooms. “When I took charge, it was all in pathetic condition. We will be hosting our second international match in three months time (vs New Zealand). We are very happy that the BCCI has recognized our hardwork and matches are being allotted to us,” Azharuddin said.