Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan has praised KL Rahul for his consistent performance since his return from injury. Rahul, who has been playing for the Men in Blue since the Asia Cup 2023, has been a star player, scoring important runs for the team in the middle order across formats.
Rahul has been exceptional in Tests, most recently scoring a century in South Africa. In the ongoing test against England, he scored 86 runs off 123 balls, including two sixes and eight boundaries, providing much-needed stability to the side in the absence of Virat Kohli. He was on track to score a century but was dismissed by debutant Tom Hartley.
When asked about Rahul’s consistent performance in Jiocinema, Zaheer Khan believes that Rahul’s international career has been hampered by injuries over the years and that he has now become the 2.0 version of himself in Indian cricket. He cited Rahul’s performances in the ODI World Cup and test series against South Africa as evidence of his progress.
“If you see his career, the journey has been impacted because of injury. He was coming in good form and then missed matches because of injuries. So he missed a stretch that is required in international cricket when you are in good form.”
“If you keep that in mind, you can call it version 2.0 because he played a few excellent knocks in the World Cup, scored a very good hundred in South Africa, and here also, although he missed a century, it was an extremely good knock,” Zaheer Khan said
Following his Centurion epic in India’s last series, KL Rahul provided another vital middle-order contribution for the team against England. He batted with a newfound intent that reflected recent changes in his game and put his Bazball approach to the test by taking on the English bowlers.
KL Rahul Said That They Have Grown Up Playing On Such Wickets – Owais Shah
Former England cricketer Owais Shah believes KL Rahul’s grinding on home pitches has helped him play with confidence against the England team, and he praises him for his brilliant shot selection on a tricky wicket. He lauded the Karnataka batsman for predominantly using a vertical bat and for his wristwork against spin.
“If you listen to his interview, he said that they have grown up playing on such wickets. Then, he spoke about selecting the shots he could have played on this wicket and that is why he played an exceptional knock. He played only four sweep shots.”
“On the flip side, most of the players in the England team play the sweep shot only. He plays more with the straight bat, and he gets boundaries as well as singles and doubles while doing that. When he plays spin, he uses the wrists and places the ball into the gaps,” Owais Shah said.
Rohit Sharma-led side finished the second day with a comfortable 175-run advantage, thanks to half-centuries from KL Rahul (86), Yashasvi Jaiswal (80), and Ravindra Jadeja (81*). India will begin Day 3 at 421 for 7, with Jadeja and Axar Patel (35*) in the middle and the Men In Blue will look to extend the lead as much as possible before inviting the England side to bat in the 2nd innings.