By Trisha Ghosal in Leeds
Just one more sleep remains before India and England renew their Test rivalry in a five-match series. As India landed in Leeds for the opening match on the 17th, the buzz was electric but the mood at the training ground yesterday morning was calm, purposeful. Among the first to step out for the nets was KL Rahul, and from the moment he took guard, there was a clarity in his body language that said more than any press conference ever could.
He began with throwdowns, about 15 minutes of them, and looked like a batter who had left doubt at the door. There was no rust, no hesitancy, only rhythm.
Earlier this year, during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rahul wasn’t India’s top scorer, but he was arguably their most composed presence at the crease. Numbers didn’t quite capture his authority; his footwork, shot selection, and shot suppression told the real story. And yesterday in Leeds, that same assurance returned, unmistakably and instantly.
After his opening routine, Rahul moved to the main nets to face Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Shardul Thakur. The first delivery he faced was a short one outside off from Thakur, Rahul responded with a clean, textbook square cut. The sound off the bat had that unmistakable crispness. It wasn’t just a shot, it was a signal.
In Test cricket, confidence doesn’t always show through boundaries. It’s often most visible in the leaves, especially against the best bowlers in that delicate corridor of uncertainty. When Bumrah steamed in and pitched the ball precisely in that zone, Rahul let it go with elegant ease. That leave spoke volumes: about control, about clarity, about readiness.
After a long session featuring flowing cover drives and graceful back-foot punches, Rahul returned to the throw down nets. This time, he had a specific ask. He spoke to Nuwan for a few minutes, explaining that he wanted short balls, chest-high, aimed at his left hand, an exacting drill to prepare for what England’s tall quicks will hurl at him. Raghu, Nuwan, and Daya obliged. On the third ball, one short ball reared up and struck him on the right arm. He flinched, briefly but didn’t stop. He was locked in.
Later, as he stood outside the net awaiting his next turn, he was seen speaking to himself softly, pointing to different parts of an imaginary field. Fine leg. Deep square leg. Mid-wicket. Gully. It was the mind of a batter setting traps not for the bowlers, but for his own reactions. The next set of throwdowns saw him use his wrists masterfully to thread balls through tight channels between square leg and mid-wicket, or past slip and gully. Only once did he miscue, the rest was controlled aggression.
Once done, he walked over to head coach Gautam Gambhir. The two had a long chat. Rahul looked relaxed. Content. Not exuberant, not overawed, just quietly assured.
Now that his place at the top of the order is cemented, Rahul seems to be planning like a man with a mission. The mental scaffolding is up. The technique is ticking. The bounce, the pace, the angles, he is preparing for it all, especially on the green, lively Headingley surface.
For Indian cricket fans, there’s reason to hope. KL Rahul, calm and calculating in the practice nets, might just be the opening chapter of India’s summer in England.
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The incident where Karun Nair got hit at the nets by a delivery from @prasidh43 @RohanDC98 #ENGvsIND #Headingley pic.twitter.com/xGMsiSF8PA
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