New Delhi: KL Rahul’s selection for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under raised a lot of eyebrows. India’s decision to include an out-of-form, inconsistent player in such an important series drew plenty of flack but all the noise surrounding Rahul’s inclusion was silenced by the Karnataka batter in the opening Test at Perth.
Even though Rahul scored just 26 runs in the first innings, he showed grit and faced almost 13 overs of a hostile pace attack on the world’s fastest pitch. He wanted to stay and fight even as other top-order batters came and went without even putting up a fight.
In the second innings, Rahul not only stayed at the crease for a long time but also played a superb 77-run knock and in the process stitched a match-winning 201-run partnership with centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal. His determined displays at Perth were not just about the runs he scored but more than that the way he applied himself and adjusted according to the conditions and the bowling attack.
Rahul’s Perth masterclass: Grit, determination, and a match-winning partnership
Rahul’s impressive outing at the Optus Stadium forced the team management to continue with him in the opening slot for the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval despite the return of regular opener and skipper Rohit Sharma. Even in the first innings of the Day-Night Test, Rahul, despiting failing to caplitalise on the good start, looked at ease against the pink ball.
At the spicy Gabba track in the ongoing Brisbane Test where all the other Indian top-order batters struggled Rahul once again showed assurance and application. The Karnataka batters adjusted to the extra bounce of the track expertly and waited for the ball to come. The technical adjustment allowed Rahul to play close to his body and meet the ball under the eye.
Rahul was unlucky to miss out on a deserved century as a sensational catch by Steve Smith denied the elegant right-handed batter his ninth century. It was a moment of redemption for Smith, who dropped a simple catch on the first ball of Day 4 to give Rahul an early lifeline.
Rahul might have missed out on a famous century but his 84-run knock played a crucial role for India to avoid follow-on. Besides Rahul, useful contributions from Ravindra Jadeja (77) and an unbeaten 39-run stand between Akash Deep (27) and Jasprit Bumrah (10) helped India breach the dreaded 246-run mark and raise the chances of saving the match. Courtesy of Rahul, Jadeja’s fifties and batting heroics from the lower order, India finished Day 4 on 252 for 9, trailing the visitors’ first-innings total of 445.
What Kohli and Rohit need to learn from Rahul?
Unlike Rahul, both Kohli and Rohit tried to force the issue and threw their bats instead of allowing the ball to come closer to them. Not just Kohli and Rohit, Pant and Gill also poked unnecessarily at the balls outside off unlike Rahul, who showed no such overeagerness and was much more compact to avert the danger of getting an outside edge.
A lesson for Kohli and Rohit: Learning from Rahul’s success
A graphic that popped up during the broadcast showed the point of contact of all three batters and it was evident why Kohli and Rohit were being dismissed regularly outside off stump. Kohli, in particular, has been the most vulnerable outside off and one of the reasons for his profligacy outside off is his overeagerness to meet the ball, which results in him lunging towards the ball and playing away from the body.
The graphics displayed during the match by the official broadcaster (Star Sports/Hotstar) show the interception points of all three batters. (Image: Hotstar/X)
Dissed and criticised for most of his career, Rahul has excelled in both mental and technical aspects of batting on one of the toughest tours. The Karnataka batter, who has often faced criticism for his lack of consistency, looks the more assured of all the Indian batters. With 231 runs under his belt at a superb average of 46.20, Rahul is the second-highest run-scorer in the series and the highest for India.
The Indian batters should follow Rahul’s template to tackle the Aussie fast bowling attack. More than others, Rahul should use the template for the rest of the series to create a fresh start in his career.
AUS vs IND: KL Rahul’s improved technique and mental fortitude has set an example for other Indian batsmen struggling against the Australian pace attack. His success underscores the importance of patience and technical adjustment against hostile bowling. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
