To fix top order, Rahul needs long run as opener
When Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan added 50 in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test, it was India’s first half-century opening partnership for 18 innings in England.
India’s push for excellence has helped find depth in pace and spin, with bowlers delivering 20 wickets in each of the last four high-profile overseas Tests.
But results in those four Tests stand at 1-3, evidence of India’s batting travails despite skipper Virat Kohli’s grand run. Top-order batsmen have struggled on lively pitches against pace, and constant chopping has hurt the team. Cheteshwar Pujara has gone in and out of the team, and it is clear KL Rahul is not relishing any slot other than opener.
The 26–year-old was a picture of confidence after making a century in his second Test in Sydney on the 2014-15 Australia tour. That came after being asked to open, having batted at No 6 and 3 on debut in Melbourne and failed.
In Edgbaston, at No 3 in place of Pujara, he made four and 13. Rahul’s stats show he is best as opener, and much like No 3 batsmen hate to open, it can work the other way for openers. Rahul has opened in 11 away Tests - the Port of Spain game was all but washed out in 2016 - and the numbers tell a story. The scores -- 110&16; 7&5, 108&2; 2&2; 158; 50&28; 57; 85; 10&4; 0 -- show he is best as opener.
If India management is thinking of a succession plan for the demanding openers’ slots and see Rahul as the best bet, they will have to find out if he is in the right mental space when not opening.
Shikhar Dhawan’s poor technique against swing negates the left-right ploy. In Edgbaston, twice he walked into his shot unsure, to be caught at slip and by keeper. Poor footwork can expose him in Australia too at the yearend. Murali Vijay’s temperament and technique, and centuries in Australia, England and South Africa, set him apart. But at 34, and after a few injuries, his reflexes aren’t that sharp.
Rahul’s four-year Test career is in two parts. The first phase ran until his brilliant show against Australia at home last year, braving a shoulder injury. The second, post surgery and since he was not immediately restored as opener and failed in the ODI middle-order on the 2017 Sri Lanka tour, has seen a dip in confidence.
In South Africa in January, India started with Shikhar, and only when he failed in Cape Town did Rahul come in. But he failed, and thus a long run in England can help.