By Bharath Ramaraj
One ball into his innings, KL Rahul had given some evidence that he could negate the threat of the moving ball in the first ODI against Australia. Mitchell Starc, who was in the middle of an excellent spell, pitched the ball further up in an attempt to sneak through Rahul’s defence with swing. Unfortunately for Starc, he didn’t generate much swing on that particular offering but his extra burst of pace and the left-arm angle could have still troubled a batter who was facing his first ball. Instead, what transpired was Rahul loading up the back foot, followed by the front foot pushing and releasing forward to crack a pleasing drive through the covers.
Self belief can extinguish in the blink of an eye and once again burn bright. The same Rahul had looked out of sorts on tricky pitches in the just-concluded Test series against Australia. It is true that yesteday he was playing in a different format where he has been in fine touch, but one would have expected some kind of tentativeness in Rahul’s game early on in his innings. However, he was poised and ready to take on Starc.
Despite essaying a fluent drive while facing his first ball, it wasn’t exactly a stroll in the park for the affable cricketer. Starc, Sean Abbott and Cameron Green went past Rahul’s outside edge on a few occasions, and he was also forced to eke out inside edges. A couple of times, the No.5 bat played with soft hands and the ball didn’t carry to the slip cordon. Rahul also had to play inside the line while facing Starc’s wobble delivery. Just that Rahul was prepared to wade through the tricky marshland, with an eye on reaching safer waters.
After being stuck in second gear for long, Rahul shifted gears at the right time, tonking Green and Adam Zampa to different parts of the ground. Hardik Pandya and subsequently R Jadeja also provided him valuable support, which in turn made life easier for Rahul. “Saw three wickets fall down early, Starc was swinging the ball well and when he brings the ball back in, he is a dangerous bowler. Just tried to play normal cricketing shots. Got a few boundaries away and that settled my nerves. If we are good with our footwork, we could do well and it was fun batting with Jadeja. The minute the left-hander walked in, I got a few loose ball. That happens to the best of bowlers. The left-hander walking in and that worked for us,” Rahul said to the official broadcaster after the match.
Rahul also had a good outing with the gloves, pouching a sharp diving catch to dislodge Steve Smith. Spool back in time to the tour of Bangladesh and Rahul had found himself under the pump for dropping the crucial chance to give Mehidy Hasan a reprieve. The grab to send Smith back to the pavilion wouldn’t have just boosted Rahul’s confidence but also gladdened the hearts of the think-tank, especially with the 50-over World Cup looming on the horizon.
In some ways, Rahul’s impressive outing against the moving ball at the Wankhede Stadium also gives an inkling that he could be in the scheme of things for the WTC final against Australia at The Oval. After all, Rahul has compiled Test hundreds at Centurion – spongy bounce and seam movement, and Lord’s – moist pitch on Day 1. Another point to note is the incumbent No. 5 batter Shreyas Iyer has been laid low by back problems.
Or would India also look at Rahul as the makeshift wicketkeeper-bat for a one-off game? There is no harm in thinking that Rahul could take over the dual role of wicketkeeping and batting and do a decent job. But it is also true that the ball could wobble in the air and off the pitch a little more in England. Moreover, Rahul has to take over the wicketkeeping role for longer periods in a Test match. So it would need immense concentration prowess.
One can only wait and watch to know more about where Rahul fits in the scheme of things as far as the WTC final is concerned. Rahul and the rest of his teammates won’t be looking too far ahead, as for now the focus would be on sealing the ongoing ODI series against Australia.