A lot is being talked about KL Rahul these days where the primary discussion is that of his strike rate being on the very lower side and that doesn’t help India’s new approach in the T20Is. Well it may seem that last night he was simply adding to India’s woes but if you are going to dissect the knock yesterday, you need to take a lot of factors into consideration.
First and foremost, last night’s surface was a hellish nightmare for any batter in the middle. The ball was doing its fair bit and the ones wielding the willow had very little clue about how exactly to navigate through the ever-evolving mazes.
India had just lost two of their biggest wickets and the ask still seemed steep, considering the fact that the hosts couldn’t even get past 20 in the powerplay. After Virat was gone, the Men in Blue needed a partnership and some reliable name in the middle who could steer India clear of any immediate wobble.
While Suryakumar Yadav was biding his own time, KL Rahul was staving away the menacing South African fast bowling union from making further inroads. Well, sadly, due to the recent jibes and catcalls that have reigned supreme, people believe that KL Rahul has been way off his charts and the rate at which he has been scoring is usually something that doesn’t help India’s cause.
Well, one needs to understand that he returned to the groove just a couple of months back. Despite a slow start after his injury, he has managed to bring out the big guns. The striking has been a problem for sure but if you usually look at a handful of important games, he did manage to score at a very decent speed.
Why exactly is he so important for Team India? The answer is simple, he is someone who has class, who has elegance and most importantly, he possesses a very wide variety of shots. In T20 cricket, if one has a bloated arsenal, as the bowlers try to hit you off your guard, you still have an upper hand.
Now there can be two possible ways in which India may use him. KL Rahul may continue to open for the Men in Blue while they may shift Rishabh Pant to the top while sending KL Rahul slightly below in the order. This problem has another conundrum preceding it. If he is to come at number 5 where Pant usually walks out, he will have to start hitting as soon as he is in.
Sadly, that is not his style anymore. Hence, the best match for KL Rahul in the team would be an opening slot. There he can take his own sweet time and eventually by the time he would get set, he would have a decent amount of overs to attack. Maybe he is on a bit of lag, but KL Rahul is one name that you would always want in your side.
