"Although KL Rahul's strike rate is less, he scores consistently" - Mohammad Kaif praises LSG skipper for anchoring role amid IPL 2022
Former Indian cricketer and cricket expert Mohammad Kaif believes Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul should not be criticized for his strike rate. The 41-year-old feels Rahul is doing a fantastic job of anchoring the LSG innings and as long as he is scoring consistently, strike rate shouldn't be a problem.
KL Rahul has been in good form so far this season, scoring 108 runs from three games at a strike rate of 140.26. Although he was criticized a bit for the time he took to score 68 runs in the last game, Mohammad Kaif believes Rahul is a banker of runs.
Speaking to Sportskeeda on the show 'SK Match ki Baat', here's what Mohammad Kaif had to say about Rahul:
"I would praise KL Rahul because although his strike rate is around 120-125, he is such a player that he scores 400-500 runs every year. So you can learn from him that although your strike rate is not that high, you can score consistently in every game and that's what KL Rahul does. So his role of batting at the top and through the innings is something that he does to perfection."
Kaif also highlighted the difference that a fully fit Anrich Nortje could make to the DC team. He added:
"He has the ability to bowl 150 kmph consistently and had a very good last year. Delhi retained him ahead of Rabada because he has the speed and ability to take wickets in the powerplay."
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Pant vs Avesh is the match-up I am looking forward to: Mohammad Kaif
Rishabh Pant is definitely going to be one of the key batters for Delhi. The 24-year-old has shown promise to score big in the tournament so far, but has been troubled by short-pitched deliveries in both games. On this, Mohammad Kaif stated:
"While Pant was batting, it looked like he would take the game away from the opposition. But he got out in both his games to similar short deliveries, once to third man and then to fine leg. So he is getting out to the short ball. But I liked Pant's attacking approach."
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A number of top-class players from both sides will go head-to-head in the LSG vs DC encounter. However, Mohammad Kaif is looking forward to seeing pacer Avesh Khan go up against his friend and former captain Pant. He added:
"Pant vs Avesh Khan is a match-up I am looking forward to. Because these two are very dear friends. Rishabh Pant backed Avesh Khan last year and he reaped rewards from Pant's captaincy. So that is one match-up I am excited to watch."
With both IPL teams having genuine match-winners in their ranks, the LSG vs DC encounter promises to be a cracking one.