Cricket Editorial Eng v Ind India Tour of England 2025

KL Rahul has made peace with himself, and it shows in his batting

June 23, 2025
<a href="https://revsportz.in/author/boria/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url"><img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e660b408ca5a915f1c718d0cd98a879b?s=32&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e660b408ca5a915f1c718d0cd98a879b?s=64&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-32 photo' height='32' width='32' decoding='async'/> <span class="" itemprop="name">Boria Majumdar</span></a>
KL Rahul against England, Day 3 of Headingley Test. Image: Debasis Sen

Boria Majumdar in Leeds

All through his career, much has been said about KL Rahul being given a long rope. And the trolls have had an absolute feast going after him for days on end. The injury in the 2023 IPL, for example, led some to say good riddance, for it ruled him out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. That he still averages 35 after over a decade in international cricket is often cited as proof of Rahul’s inconsistency at the Test level.

For his fans, however, Rahul is penning his own story. And needless to say, his is a story of survival. Can there be bigger redemption for Rahul than being able to bat well for India at the top of the order in difficult English conditions and setting the game up? Perhaps not, and truth be told, he knows it better than anyone.

Anyone who watched Rahul play in South Africa in December 2023 will know he has the ability. It was one of the best Test match innings played in recent times. Yesterday, at Headingly, he looked in the very same mind space. Excellent defensive technique, all the shots in the book, and almost everyone felt he was in control.

How is Rahul here in England different to the one we have seen in the past? The answer is pretty straightforward. In trying to seek perfection of a very different standard, he used to lose control. Just like a historian can never write the perfect history, there is nothing called the perfect technique. Yes there are training manuals, but then you innovate. Sachin Tendulkar did not have the perfect grip. He scored 51 Test hundreds. Steve Waugh did not have the best technique against the short ball – he scored thousands of runs for Australia.

KL Rahul. Image : Debasis Sen

Rahul needed to believe he could do the job. And obsess less about technical perfection. More importantly, just ignore the outside noise. He struggled to do so in the past. Not anymore. Here in England, each time he is beaten, he takes his time to compose himself and takes fresh guard. He knows he belongs here, and that’s what is making a huge difference.

Just the other day, I was watching highlights of India’s decisive win in the third Test of the 2018 series in Australia. Rahul played a very important hand of 44 in the second innings. He found ways to score and it got India off the blocks. Technically, the innings wasn’t perfect. Mentally, it was. He was ready and determined. And it worked. That’s what he did yesterday afternoon in Leeds. He scored off the loose balls and made sure that India weren’t bogged down. He will resume on 47 today, and if he manages to score a 100, he will know that he has given India the upper hand in this game.

Going into day four, Rahul is India’s best bet in tough batting conditions. If he continues in this rich vein of form, India should get a lead of close to 300. It will then be on Jasprit Bumrah and co to do the rest.

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