In the upcoming Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between England and India, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has backed opener KL Rahul to continue his outstanding play. Rahul has been one of India’s most important batsmen thus far in the series.
The fashionable right-hander is currently the fourth-highest run-scorer in the series with 375 runs in three Test matches, including two hundreds and a half-century. Rahul made a technical change that Shastri pointed out, and he thinks it has been crucial to the opener’s comeback.
Nobody in the world, in my opinion, doubted KL Rahul potential or claimed that he lacked talent. People were irritated because, despite his brilliance, he was not delivering.
And you’re witnessing KL Rahul at his peak in this series,” Ravi Shastri stated in The ICC Review.
“I note that he has made a minor change to his front foot, posture, and defensive technique. It simply opened up enough to let his back show through properly. It’s the entire face of the blade, even when he’s hitting it close to mid-wicket,” he continued.
KL Rahul should refrain from closing the face of the bat, a technical error that has occasionally resulted in his dismissals, Shastri noted. He underlined that such preventable mistakes shouldn’t be the reason Rahul loses his wicket. The former coach claims that Rahul has the technique to handle whatever seam or swing that is available and that the conditions have not provided much movement.
Rahul’s reputation has further grown as a result of his recent exploits in England; he currently has four Test hundreds for India in England, which is second only to Rahul Dravid’s six.
“Unlike in the past, he doesn’t have to close the blade’s face, trip, and get into difficulty. He would get bowled, get out leg before, and then get across too far and get out leg before again. Technically, he is sound and has been on par with everyone. In particular, it hasn’t moved much during the series, but when it has, he has been able to handle that movement,” Shastri said.
According to Shastri, the 33-year-old is about to enter the prime of his red-ball career, which might signal the beginning of an extended run of batting consistency. Rahul has become a key member of India’s batting lineup with 3632 Test runs at an average of 35.33, including 10 hundreds and 18 half-centuries.
He is at the height of his abilities. He must make the next three or four years matter. Additionally, he plays a lot of cricket in India, so I see him earning hundreds. He should thus be near 50, whatever that average is,” Shastri said.
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