KL Rahul has been an enigma in Test cricket. Although he does have a watertight technique, solid temperament, and has already shown in the past that he can score runs both home and away, the career average he has does not reflect his true potential. After 63 Test matches, Rahul has scored 3789 runs at an average of 35.41 runs with 10 centuries and 19 half-centuries.
“In my opinion, this is a very important series for KL Rahul; an average of 35 does not suit him at all. It is wrong, and if he needs to better it, then he has to write his name in this series, and he batted in that way today. The backfoot punch that he plays, no one in international cricket plays it better than him. Through this series and the South Africa one, Rahul has to boost his average to 42 to 45,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel after KL Rahul scored a half-century on Day 1 of the first Test between India and West Indies.
Ravi Shastri optimistic
Earlier, Former Indian Head Coach Ravi Shastri said Rahul’s potential will be converted into runs. “I think there was not one person in the world who denied his potential and said that he [Rahul] was not talented. What annoyed people was that, with that kind of talent, he was not delivering. And in this series, you’re seeing the best of Rahul,” Shastri said on the ICC Podcast. “What I am seeing is a slight adjustment he’s made with his front foot, in his stance, and while defending. It just opened up a bit, which allows his back to come through cleanly. Even when he’s hitting it towards mid-wicket, it’s the full face of the blade,” he said.
“He is sound technically, he has been as good as anyone. Especially, it’s not moved a lot in the series, but when it’s moved, he has had the game to look after that movement,” Shastri observed. “He’s at his prime. He has got to make these next three, four years count,” he said.
Rahul, because of the current circumstances in Indian cricket, will have a run as an opener in Indian conditions, which are relatively kinder to opening batters compared to conditions in England or Australia. “And I see him getting a lot of hundreds because he’s playing a lot of cricket in India as well. So whatever that average is, he should be close to 50,” Shastri predicted.
