‘After Virat Kohli, Indian cricket is going to be known as KL. It is in the name of Rahul ‘- Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar’s frown when he made such a statement 3 years ago. But more than three years later, the cricketing world realizes that Gavaskar was not just a jerk as he went on to become the first Indian opener to score a Test century in the first Test against South Africa, the first Test century in Australia, England and South Africa.
Currently, Rahul is the second Indian opener to score a century (8) after Gavaskar (8) in China (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). Rahul’s biggest plus is his batting style, which combines class and mass and his ability to adjust his batting style according to the format. If the same form continues, there is no doubt that Rahul will soon become the captain of the Indian team and the team’s batting superstar after Virat Kohli.
∙ Mangalore Boy
Rahul, originally from Mangalore, Karnataka, has been playing professional cricket since he was under-13. He started as a wicket-keeper batter. The cricketing world began to pay attention to Rahul after he scored two consecutive double centuries in the Under-13 tournament. He later represented the Karnataka team in various stages including Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19.
Rahul was part of the Indian Under-19 team in 2010 and has made a name for himself internationally. In 2013, Royal Challengers Bangalore called up Rahul, who later played in first-class matches for Karnataka. That season with captain Virat Kohli paved the way for Rahul to join the Indian team.
∙ Boxing Day Test Debut
Rahul will make his Test debut as a replacement for Rohit Sharma in the 2014 Boxing Day Test. Rahul, who came in sixth in the first innings, could score only 3 runs. Despite being promoted to third in the second innings, Rahul’s innings was reduced to one run. The selectors decided to consider Rahul in the Sydney Test as well, as he was not even sure if he would get a place in the team for the next Test.
Rahul was not ready to waste this opportunity. Rahul scored his maiden Test century in the first innings of the Sydney Test. The selectors decided to consider Rahul as a replacement for Murali Vijay in the subsequent Test series. With that, Rahul became Team India’s regular opener in Test cricket.
∙ 3D player
Despite his Test career, Rahul had to wait another two years for his ODI and Twenty20 debut. Rahul made his ODI and Twenty20 debut in 2016 on a tour of Zimbabwe. He soon scored a century in ODIs and Twenty20s, becoming the third Indian to score a century in all three formats (the other two being Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma). With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Team India has got another player in the form of Rahul who can excel in all three formats.
∙ Punjab Punch
Despite playing for RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, Rahul’s IPL prowess is evident in 2018 when he becomes part of Kings XI Punjab. Rahul was brought to the Kings XI team for Rs 11 crore. In his debut match, Rahul scored the fastest half-century (14 balls) in the IPL.
Despite scoring 90 runs three times that year, Rahul’s first century for Punjab came in 2019. Rahul, who took over as Punjab captain next year, returned with an orange cap of 670 runs. Rahul was the third highest run-scorer with 626 runs last season. With Rahul’s decision to leave the Punjab team for the new season, there is no doubt that he will become one of the most expensive players in the history of the IPL.
∙ Why Rahul?
KL and Rahul are unique in that they can play at the same level in all three formats. Rahul can change his batting style according to the format. Another plus of Rahul is his timing with or better than Virat Kohli. Even though he is not a power hitter, it is this timing that helps Rahul to break into the Twenty20s. Rahul can shoot shots to any part of the ground. Impossible wrist work also increases Rahul’s strength.
∙ Captain Rahul
When Virat Kohli vacated the captaincy of the ODI and Twenty20 teams, Rahul was another name that came up along with Rohit Sharma. There were hints that Rohit and Rahul might be the ODI team captains in the Twenty20s. But for the time being, the selectors decided that Rohit would be enough for both the formats. But the selectors have decided to consider Rahul himself as captain if Rohit has to miss the tour of South Africa due to injury.
English Summary: KL Rahul’s Dream Run Continues…Will he Become an All-format Great like Kohli?
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