Rahul back from fringes to frontline
MUMBAI: Only 38 Tests old, KL Rahul’s career has come a full circle. When he started in 2014-15, he had the perfect formula to bat in Tests. Inexplicably, three years later he lost it. And now, quite magically, he has rediscovered it after a lucky break. His Lord’s hundred against England was special as it led to victory. The 84 in the first Test at Trent Bridge was equally priceless. Playing the lone ranger, he was at the crease till the score of 205 out of the 278 India reached. Had the fifth day’s play not being washed out, India had an even chance to win. Rahul would then have been in the running for Man-of-the-match, an award he won at Lord’s.
He was almost written off as a Test player and opening batsman following a string of failures in the last three seasons. Rahul had been out of the previous 16 Tests, dropped after failing on the 2019 tour of the West Indies. His relief since the comeback in this series is visible in his batting. From a fringe player, he has become the anchorman.
On the first day at Lord’s, Rahul displayed all the virtues of a classical Test opener to bat through the day, eventually scoring 129. “This hundred is up there, it is a very memorable innings, especially because it turned into a match-winning knock for us,” he said in a virtual media conference on Monday.
While Rahul’s first cycle of overseas games went off smoothly, with three hundreds in the first six Tests, the second cycle from Jan, 2018, started with poor returns in South Africa, and proved a nightmare. He was caught in a dilemma, whether to attack or play the waiting game, and had sparse returns. In the 2018 series in England he opened in four Tests after batting at No. 3 in the first, failing in nine innings in a row before scoring 149 in the last outing at the Oval, in a losing cause.
Coming into this series, he was not in the mix as an opener until Shubman Gill’s leg injury and Mayank Agarwal’s concussion left the team management with no choice.
Rahul said a change in mindset from the 2018 tour has been the big difference. He has reduced the number of shots he has looked to play from the last tour. The focus has now shifted to enjoying batting and sharing responsibility, rather than looking to dominate. “My main take away from the 2018 tour was that I was playing too many shots. My mindset was how I could score. This time, I have decided to just enjoy my batting, focus on the responsibility given by the team. I am not paying much attention to personal plans. That is the big difference,” Rahul said.
The latest version of the Karnataka batsman has been a revelation. The qualities he displayed as a young, upcoming opening batsman are all back—with a difference. From a batsman who could grind out attacks, he has added another gear that helps him accelerate as the innings progresses.
After India were put into bat, England pacers led by James Anderson had settled into a nagging line and length straightaway. They kept searching for the edge, but in his new avatar Rahul displayed endless patience. Showing fine judgement of where his off-stump was, he took 108 deliveries to hit his first boundary.
According to Cricviz, in 2015 his leave percentage was 13; in 2021, it is 30%. His first big hit was only played after the 40th over when he stepped out to hit Moeen Ali over long-off to move to 28. Opening partner Rohit Sharma was rocking by then, having hit 11 fours and a six. But Rahul was not carried away.
Only after giving the first two hours to the bowlers did he start playing shots. Rahul wants to stick to the template throughout the series. Former chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, was very impressed with Rahul’s game in the first Test and declared him a future India captain. “Rahul is an excellent batsman. He should be groomed to be the future India captain.”