“Virat Kohli invested a lot in KL Rahul” - Shoaib Akhtar credits former India captain for LSG skipper’s rise

KL Rahul (left) and Virat Kohli. Pic: Getty Images

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has credited former India captain Virat Kohli for investing a lot in KL Rahul’s talent and giving him the opportunity to turn into the match-winner that he has become today. Akhtar pointed out that Rahul started opening the innings frequently under Kohli and his game went to a different level after that.

The two star Indian batters will be opponents on Wednesday when the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2022 Eliminator at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Previewing the knockout clash, Akhtar praised Kohli for the LSG skipper’s growth as a batter. Speaking on Sportskeeda, he said:

“Virat Kohli invested a lot in KL Rahul (when he was the Indian captain). He pushed him up to open and made him a permanent member of the Indian team. Rahul is a nice and sensible guy. He has been able to prove himself and has successfully shown that he is a serious contender for India and in the IPL as well. I think KL Rahul is going to be a major factor in the match.”

Both Rahul and Kohli go into the IPL 2022 Eliminator with half-centuries against their names in their respective previous matches. The Lucknow captain made 68* off 51 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and featured in an unbroken opening stand of 210 with Quinton de Kock (140* off 70).

As for Kohli, he scored a fluent 73 off 54 balls against the Gujarat Titans (GT). He was also involved in an opening partnership of 115 with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis (44 off 38).

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“Let’s see if Rahul is able to get the crowd support” - Shoaib Akhtar

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Being a fan favorite, Kohli is expected to have a lot of crowd support at the Eden Gardens. According to Akhtar, the LSG captain must look to get the crowd behind him as well by controlling the game. Backing the opener to do a good job, he said:

“The two new teams, Lucknow and Gujarat, had to prove a point and they have been doing that very well. I would go with KL Rahul (for this game). Let’s see if Rahul is able to get the crowd support by controlling the game. He needs to focus hard on those two seconds every ball.”

The winner of the LSG-RCB clash will meet the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Friday to decide the second finalist of IPL 2022.