Trent Bridge
Lord’s
Centurion
Centurion
Perth
Gabba
The connecting point with the above-mentioned venues is KL Rahul was the cornerstone of India’s efforts. There is another connecting point to it: All those knocks came in conditions that were anywhere between tricky to tough. So, the Indian opener had to bring out the various facets of batting: Watertight defence, temperament, alongside keeping the scorecard ticking over, to lay the foundation stone at the top of the order.
The latest in the list of his stellar knocks came at the Gabba. In pursuit of Australia’s first-innings total of 445, India were in all kinds of trouble at 44 for 4. However, Rahul’s 139-ball 84 turned out to be the essence of India’s recovery. Ravindra Jadeja and the last pair of Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah built on the framework erected by Rahul. And with rain also coming into play, India had more or less ensured they would draw the game by the time the side was bundled out for 260.
It was an archetypal innings from Rahul. The highlight was his ability to play inside the line and let the ball pass to the ‘keeper. The load up, press and release of the back foot weren’t the key traits. Instead, it was his concentration to watch the ball all the way through until the nth moment that turned out to be the salient feature of the much-talked about KL-Rahul-leave.
So much so that during his innings, there were at least six instances where he kept his bat very close to the body to safely negotiate the away-going delivery or the one that straightens on the angle. All that the pace bowler might end up getting is words of encouragement from the fielders and the ‘keeper’ for bowling a good delivery.
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The KL Rahul-copybook-manual isn’t just restricted to the ‘leave.’ It is also about being treated to some gorgeous drives. None better than the one he essayed off Josh Hazlewood in the 6th over: He bent his back knee and then moved forward to crack a sumptuous cover drive. Last but not the least, he also showcased the required mental aptitude to forget the previous outcome and concentrate on the next ball.
Incidentally, Steve Smith had dropped a sitter on the first ball of Day 2. A nervy and inexperienced batter might have lost his concentration. Not Rahul, as the very next offering he faced was met with a solid back-foot defence. While reading through the descriptions of Rahul’s technical proficiency, a casual cricket fan might wonder whether he is one of the greats of the game. Even if you spool back in time when Rahul composed a fluent 73 against the likes of Ashish Nehra and Parvinder Awana, or his twin hundreds in the Duleep Trophy game versus Central Zone, it seemed like Rahul was earmarked for greatness.
The reality, however, is different as after playing close to 10 years of Test cricket, he averages just over 34. But it is also true that Rahul has scored some ‘tough runs’ in alien climes over the last three years. A fact that seems to go slightly under the radar while judging Rahul’s importance to the Indian Test side, especially when they play away from home.
Interestingly, Rahul’s next assignment is a Test match at the hallowed MCG. It is a ground where he kick-started his Test career, with a couple of tentative knocks of 3 and 1. A decade later, he would be eager to erase those painful memories with another of those Rahul specials.
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