Four hundred and two runs from seven innings, averaging 100.50 at a strike rate of 92.41. That’s KL Rahul’s performance since his comeback to the Indian team from a quadricep injury.
What really has gone on into the making of Rahul 2.0? Obviously, there’s clarity over his role as wicketkeeper-batter and, more importantly, Rahul is enjoying keeping. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said in an interview to bcci.tv that he feared he might not be able to don the keeping gloves again.
Besides looking confident behind the stumps, it’s with the bat that Rahul is coming across as a changed cricketer which has benefitted India over the past month.
Calmness was already a strength of his, noticed particularly when he opened with Rohit during India’s Test tour of England in 2021. But since that unbeaten 111 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Colombo, which was also his comeback match, he has showed other traits too — solidity, playing according to the situation and conditions and the determination to grind out of a tough phase.
“During his recovery period, Rahul seemed to gather himself as his self-introspection helped him quite a lot. At present, he’s in a far better mindset.
“He now comes across as someone who’s much more composed and that’s why the national selectors kept backing him, because they always believed him to be a performer,” a BCCI source told The Telegraph on Monday.
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, Rahul, en route to his unbeaten 97 after India were reeling at 2/3 in pursuit of 200, showed he is gradually taking his composure to a different level. And that composure of his was also instrumental in calming the nerves of Virat Kohli before the duo stitched a match-winning 165-run fourth-wicket stand.
“Both KL and Virat played really smart cricket. That wasn’t the kind of wicket where you could just muscle it and hit boundaries at will. They played themselves in very well,” Steve Smith pointed out.
“We always knew what Rahul brings to the team, especially in the middle order. He’s a player who plays spin well, fast bowlers and seamers as well,” bowling coach Paras Mhambrey stressed.
Gill ruled out
Opener Shubman Gill is set to miss Wednesday’s game against Afghanistan as well. Gill, who couldn’t feature in Sunday’s clash against Australia as he hasn’t yet recovered fully from dengue, stayed back in Chennai while the rest of the Indian squad travelled to New Delhi on Monday. He will be monitored by the BCCI medical team.
Gill’s earliest return appears to be the October 19 game against Bangladesh in Pune. There’s just a two-day gap between Wednesday’s match and India’s marquee clash against Pakistan in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
