KL Rahul has all the talent in the world, but he has not consistently converted that talent into runs in red-ball cricket. With the senior batters having retired, former Kolkata Knight Riders player Manvinder Bisla says it is time for Rahul to dominate Test cricket.
“Whenever we see KL Rahul, the thing that comes to mind is that he is a wonderful player. But when we talk about Test cricket, he was somewhere in the shadow of the big four: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma. This is the right time to come out of the shadow and dominate Test cricket,” Bisla said in his Instagram video.
“People questioned Virat Kohli’s technique in overseas conditions. He did not have a very good England series, but then he completely dominated in Australia. Pujara also dominated in Australia by playing 1250 balls in a single series. The Australian bowlers were wondering how to get him out. Virender Sehwag batted exceptionally well in Sri Lanka in 2010 when Mendis was dominating,” he added.
“Similarly, I feel that this is the right time for KL Rahul to dominate in Test cricket, where the youngsters around him in the batting order feel that they have an experienced batter who can bail the team out of trouble,” Bisla concluded.
The last trip to England offers hope that Rahul is ready to step up. He was consistent throughout, stacking 532 runs at 53.20, his highest tally ever in a series. By his own admission, Rahul is not fussed about his average. “I don’t let it bother me but it’s not that I don’t see it. Any batter would want their numbers to be as high as it can be,” he told JioHotstar.
“But right now, it’s more important for me to make sure my game plans are tight and that I am enjoying my cricket. Those are the boxes I want to tick more than thinking about numbers.”