KL Rahul's inability to convert starts leading to his downfall
Not for the first time in his International career did KL Rahul do all the hard work early in the innings, and present his wicket to the opposition soon after. Opening the innings alongside Mayank Agarwal, he watchfully negated the menacing spells early on from the potent West Indies bowling attack in the second innings of the first Test.
Determined to justify his place in the side, Rahul was on a desperate quest for a magnificent century. Perishing without making it count in the first innings at 44, the flamboyant right-hander looked keen to notch the distinguished three-figure mark this time around. He had already stroked a delicious half-volley from Roston Chase to the cover-point fence on the preceding delivery.
Following the boundary, Rahul quintessentially did what he does best - throw away a concrete start. While trying to be cheeky, the opener attempted a fine paddle round the corner only for the vicious off-break of Roston Chase to dismiss him for 38. Absolutely livid with himself, he slammed the bat into the ground in frustration, departing yet again unaccomplished. The choice of the stroke was absurd. For a batsman as gifted as Rahul, an aesthetically pleasing player who enjoys a wide repertoire of strokes, was the delicate paddle the only alternative? But unfortunately, the damage had been done.
"Obviously, I am very disappointed but there are a lot of things I am doing right so I just have to keep my head down and show some more patience. I just have to prolong the good things that I am doing until I get to 35 and 45." Rahul remarked to the reporters after the close of play on day 3 of the opening Test match.
This has been the case of late with Rahul. Looks set for a big innings and moments later, he is sent marching back to the pavilion shaking his head in disarray because of a reckless shot.
The negative influence of brisk limited-overs cricket on Rahul's temperament and patience is evident for all to see. The repercussions of white-ball cricket have inhibited his ability and willingness to dig in and bat for prolonged periods. The itching desire to score runs as quickly as possible seems to have hampered the archetypal Test batsman inside Rahul, who was once renowned for churning out gargantuan knocks in the domestic circuit.
To put things in perspective, Rahul has been able to score just 5 centuries in 58 test innings, an underachievement considering his significant potential. Since 2018, Rahul has failed to convert 8 prospective starts (scores above 20) into substantial scores in 25 Test innings and averages a meagre 23.
A technically fluent batsman, there's nothing to pinpoint concerning a particular flaw. Rahul needs to overcome mental restlessness.
With the likes of youngsters Shubman Gill and Abhimanyu Easwaran stockpiling runs and yearning for maiden Test call-ups, it is high time Rahul cements his position at the fragile opening slot with dominant performances.
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