Analyzing what KL Rahul has done differently from other Indian batters in BGT 2024-25
Veteran Indian batter KL Rahul has enjoyed a change in narrative during the ongoing Australian Test series as very few have over the years. After his inclusion in the playing XI as the opener was heavily questioned at the start of the series, the tone has made a 360-degree shift to comparisons with Cheteshwar Pujara's heroics from the previous two Australian Test tours.
Rahul has been India's best batter at the halfway point of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, overcoming challenging pitches to average 46.20 with two half-centuries in five innings.
Beyond the numbers, the 32-year-old has also been head and shoulders above the other more accomplished batters as far as eye test is concerned. This is pleasantly surprising for Indian batters, considering he had scored only two half-centuries in his last eight Test innings before the ongoing Australian tour.
It begs the question of what Rahul has done differently to the other Indian batters, who have found the going tough against the relentless Australian bowlers and tricky pitches.
KL Rahul has displayed better text-book Test-match technique
Words like defensive technique, Test-match batting has almost been thrown out the window in modern red-ball cricket in the wake of T20s, aggression and England's famous 'Bazball'. Yet, when faced with seaming and swinging pitches that favor the pacers, none of those stylish terms will aid a batter like the text-book Test-match technique.
It is crystal clear that Rahul has grilled phrases like 'allowing the ball to come to him rather chasing the delivery', 'no-no to drives on the up, and 'defending or attacking away from the body'.
The above video [Credit: @StarSportsKan X handle] is a great example of how Rahul is playing close to his body on defense or getting to the pitch of the ball with tremendous extension of his feet. In contrast, the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been guilty of playing audacious drives with no feet or defending away from the body to similar deliveries.
The above image (Credit: @HitmanCricket X handle] is another example of how Rahul has allowed the ball to come to him and played much closer to his eyeline compared to Kohli and Rohit. This has allowed Rahul to cover for the late swing and seam movement and play the ball late and under his eyes with softer hands.
Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar, who was renowned for technical perfection, said on Star Sports during the ongoing third Test:
"He (Rahul) is very still at the crease. There is a little trigger movement, but his head is upright, and that’s the reason why he is able to judge where the off-stump is and leave those deliveries. And that is so essential. When the ball is hard and new, and bowlers are on top, you need to give them respect for the first half-an-hour or 45 minutes, because the next 5 hours are yours."
Also helping Rahul's cause has been his ability to leave the deliveries outside his eyeline and not commit on the front or the backfoot as a few of the other Indian batters have been guilty of. This has also allowed him to maintain a steady and still head, enabling tremendous balance when the bat meets the ball.
Even on the occasions Rahul has played shots, his footwork has been disciplined and fully committal, allowing him to get to the pitch of the ball for execution. However, this has stemmed out of his basic defensive technique that has been out of the top-draw in almost all aspects. There is more to Test cricket than what meets the eye and Rahul's willingness to look ugly at times for bigger gains must be a lesson for other box-office Indian batters to learn and incorporate into their arsenal.
Hence, it is no surprise that on challenging pitches as has been the case in this series, Rahul is the only Indian batter with over 200 runs.
Don't underestimate KL Rahul buying into the 'Mind over Matter' mantra
It is all well and good working out the ideal technique to survive and flourish on seaming and swinging pitches. Yet, ultimately it comes down to a batter's trust in his methods for a long period and the ability to resist the temptation to add to his runs tally.
While Rahul's defensive technique maybe near-perfect thus far in this series, his mental fortitude has been even more admirable. Overcoming demons of so many calling for his place in the Test side, it would have been easy for him to just look for a few quick boundaries with the attacking fields Australia set at the start of the innings.
Yet, his average of 92.60 deliveries per innings as the opener facing up to the new ball in this series might be the more telling than his impressive 46.20 average. It highlights Rahul's willingness to bat time, leave as many deliveries as possible to tire the bowlers, make it easier for the middle-order - nuances of Test cricket that seem to be fading ever so quickly around the world.
Rahul's success in Australia has been as much a testament to his character and temperament as it is his technique. To the contrary, some of the other Indian batters have tried the easy way out to mask their suspect technique by playing attacking strokes at inopportune times, resulting in their undoing.
How the 'Try and fail but don't fail to try' policy has ultimately benifitted Rahul
Several experts and fans had plenty to say when KL Rahul looked out of sorts in his lone India-A game against Australia-A before the opening Test in Perth.
While there is no denying that the stylish batter looked mediocre in both innings, the 54 deliveries he faced in Australian conditions now looks way better than most of the other Indian batters who played neither A game. By acclimatizing himself to the Aussie pitches, Rahul potentially worked on the ideal game plan from then to the start of the Australia series.
As the rest of the world was border-line laughing at Rahul's mode of dismissal in the second innings, the willingness to try and gut it out rather than not play a preparatory game at all is certainly paying rich dividends now. Hence the saying - 'He who laughs last laughs the loudest' and Rahul, at least for now, is having the last and loudest laugh.
Hence, it is no fluke Rahul has been India's best batters in Tests in SENA countries with an average of 40.22, including three centuries in 12 matches. Australia must be tired of watching another 'Rahul' thwart them time and again at home, much like Rahul Dravid did a couple of decades ago.
Team India will hope Rahul continues his incredible run in Australia and the other batters replicate half of his technical and mental expertise to overcome the Aussie challenge and win a hat-trick of Test series down under.