KL Rahul's life comes full circle in England
Back in 2018, KL Rahul and India were on the verge of another humiliating defeat at The Oval. Prior to that game, the Men In Blue had already lost the five-match Test series, meaning that they only had pride to play for. However, even in those circumstances, they somehow found themselves in the midst of an English storm (metaphorically).
For much of that tour, Rahul’s form had been cast under the scanner and plenty had opined that he had run his race as a Test opener. Hence, when he found himself stranded at the crease as India slipped to 2/3 and later 121/5, the writing seemed to be on the wall.
Not only did Rahul have to dig India out of an almighty hole, he also had to do so while strengthening his own case. All of it while James Anderson and Stuart Broad were making the ball talk. In simpler words, countless Indian fans sensed impending doom, both for India and Rahul.
Yet, the opener conjured a counter-attacking knock for the ages – an essay that sucked the wind out of the English sails and also enabled India to harbor hopes of an unlikely victory. Though Rishabh Pant earned several plaudits for the sheer bravado of his innings, it was perhaps Rahul who set the tone and showed the Indian batting unit that such conditions, even with Anderson and Broad at the height of their powers, were manageable.
Immediately, Rahul, who had been a much-maligned figure throughout the series, became the beacon of light at the end of it. The scores that he had piled up in 2017 when he became one of only six cricketers to notch up seven consecutive fifty-plus knocks, began being highlighted again.
More importantly, the damning images of Rahul hanging his bat outside off stump and succumbing to the incoming delivery in the 2018 series were erased from memory. That, in a nutshell, was meant to be the watershed moment for KL Rahul – the Test batter.
KL Rahul endured a fall from grace after the England tour in 2018
Unfortunately, though, that proved to be a false dawn and the opener’s Test career has charted a downward trajectory since. The success at The Oval was followed by a string of lackluster displays in Australia (in 2018-19), meaning that Mayank Agarwal promptly replaced him at the top of the order.
It is fair to say that Rahul’s Test adventure has not generated any head of steam post 2019. Until, of course, the 1st match against England at Trent Bridge in August 2021.
say that Rahul was always destined to open for India at Nottingham would be a massive understatement. Perhaps the only reason he was asked to bat at the top of the order was because India had run out of options, with Abhimanyu Easwaran yet to make his debut and Prithvi Shaw - the other designated reserve opener currently in quarantine.
Yet, that was hardly the impression he gave during his vigil on Day 2. He looked a class above from the rest and seemed completely different to the batter who had been turned inside out on his last tour.
Back in 2018, a lot of Rahul’s weaknesses were outside the off stump. Having undergone a startling transformation as a white-ball cricketer, the wicket-keeper had developed a habit of wafting at deliveries he ought to have left.
At Trent Bridge though, there was hardly any evidence of it. Instead, Rahul was willing to bide his time and left a lot of balls outside off stump in the process. He didn’t go searching for his shots and forced the bowlers to bowl closer to the stumps. When they did, he got behind the line adeptly and defended solidly.
The only indiscretion was perhaps in the 45th over, when Rahul went nibbling at an Anderson delivery outside off stump and edged it towards Dom Sibley at second slip. While there were a few plays and misses apart from the above, most of those were from a back of a length – a length that doesn’t necessarily guarantee wickets on typical English surfaces.
Apart from his tendency to be twitchy outside off stump, Rahul has historically been a batter susceptible to the incoming ball. On countless occasions, he has fallen across to the off side and has played around his front pad – a deficiency that has been mercilessly exploited.
On Thursday, Rahul ensured that his front foot went down the track rather than going across to the off stump. Subsequently, he was able to access the ball a lot more, even as Anderson, Broad and Robinson tried to strike the pads.
Most tellingly, though, Rahul showcased plenty of intent in his batting, much like he did at The Oval in 2018. Though there might be an inclination to point towards his strike rate and say that his batting wasn’t really positive (at least according to his SR), there was enough to suggest that it, in fact, was.
During the World Test Championship final, India were guilty of letting New Zealand off the hook. While the conditions were arguably more helpful than what they are at Trent Bridge at the moment, there were still many loose balls that the Kiwis bowled.
The Indians, though, were content to just survive, meaning that the scoreboard never really moved and the Black Caps were able to settle into a rhythm. Against England, Rahul tried to capitalize on every scoring opportunity and reaped rich rewards.
Whenever Anderson, Broad, Ollie Robinson and Sam Curran overpitched, the Indian got onto the front foot confidently and drove the ball handsomely – a trait that forced the English bowlers to pull back their lengths and reduce the chance of swing.
Thus, Rahul had, through his stay at the crease before Tea on Day 2, illustrated just why he has been touted for greatness since his international debut.
Though things haven’t always been as rosy, he certainly seems like someone India could do well to invest in. Not just because of the undeniable class and the flair he brings to the fore, but also because there is a pretty special batter hidden among all the debris that he has left behind lately. And, quite simply, it seems a shame that Rahul has to keep auditioning his case before every major series, that too across formats.
To that end, then, perhaps Rahul’s life has come full circle in England, for it was on these very shores that his Test career had seemingly taken off, only for it to crash and burn, months later. Back then, he was the next big all-format superstar – a tag he can still reclaim.
Rahul now has an opportunity to show that he, much like history’s cyclical nature, has learnt from his mistakes and isn’t embroiled in a similar situation. And, if that happens, he wouldn’t just live up to his immeasurable talent, but it could also be the end of the “how many false dawns are too many for KL Rahul” query.
Seems a little overdue too, doesn’t it?
(Note: Article was written at Tea on Day 2 and all statistics included are from before the third session on Day 2)
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