"It almost seemed an innings without purpose" - Sanjay Manjrekar criticizes KL Rahul's batting on Day 1 of IND vs BAN 1st Test 2024
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticized KL Rahul's lack of purpose and intent during his batting vigil on Day 1 of the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. The 32-year-old returned to the Indian Test side after missing the final four matches of the home series against England - the last time Team India played a red-ball game.
However, Rahul came into bat at No.6 and looked out of sorts throughout his stay before a tame dismissal against off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo after the day's play, Manjrekar felt the innings summed up Rahul's Test career [0:11]
"Completely understandable that they went for KL Rahul, It was just about experience, class, and recent form - the century in South Africa and an 80 in the only Test he played against England. But this is KL Rahul's story, It is amazing that he plays a brilliant innings at the Test level and the next two to three innings, it seems like he has got a pair in the last Test. Even when you saw him bat today, it almost seemed an innings without purpose," said Manjrekar.
Manjrekar mentioned how he suffered something similar in the latter half of his career, where the focus was more on technique rather than scoring runs on instinct.
"And that can happen. It happened to me in the second half of my career when everything was internalized and I went in to bat just thinking about my technique and if I was going to play this ball well, imagining a certain kind of delivery coming in and I have to play it properly, instead of going to your instinct as a batter which I think all the other Indian batters practice is about getting runs. Even when defending, looking for ones and twos," he added.
KL Rahul scored a magnificent 101 in the first Test of India's tour of South Africa in December last year. He followed that up with two low scores before a classy 86 in the first innings of the series opener against England at the start of this year.
"More of a temperamental problem with KL Rahul that has plagued him for 50 Test matches" - Sanjay Manjrekar
![KL Rahul has not lived up to his potential at the Test level [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/7b277-17267586012385-1920.jpg?w=500)
Sanjay Manjrekar feels KL Rahul has been plagued by temperamental issues throughout his Test career, resulting in sub-par numbers despite the apparent potential.
The 32-year-old averages under 34 in 51 Tests even with several outstanding knocks under his belt.
"That is more of a temperamental problem with KL Rahul that has plagued him for 50 Test matches because the numbers that he has, while he has got some brilliant hundreds, an average of 34 with quite a few 100s in testing conditions tells you about his temperament, which we got a look at today as well," said Manjrekar [1:05].
Rahul's dismissal left India in a spot of bother at 144/6 before Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja added an unbeaten 195 for the seventh wicket to take the side to a commanding 339/6 at stumps on Day 1.