Prefer watching KL Rahul bat over Virat Kohli, says Brian Lara
West Indies batting legend Brian Lara was all about grace and elegance at the crease. And when it comes to modern-day cricket, the southpaw considers India’s KL Rahul as his favorite batsman.
According to Lara, Rahul is great to watch. The 27-year-old has been in fine form, notching up impressive scores in the recently concluded series against New Zealand. Rahul hit a timely unbeaten 88* and backed it up with a hundred in the final match of the ODI series. However, Virat Kohli’s men conceded defeat in the 50-over series.
Speaking to Sportstar about KL Rahul, Lara said:
He’s just class. I mean, when you are watching a player, you want to see him play, you want to see great technique, a good aggressive spirit as well. He is a great entertainer, he's a great person to watch bat. This is as simple as that. He's no better batsman than Virat Kohli. Virat is the best batsmen in the world, but it's just the preference of who I like to see bat. No disrespect to anybody else.
It's only fair to say that Rahul's workload has been intensified, considering the fact that he keeps wickets now. The Karnataka-born cricketer isn't a regular in the Test format for India. Furthermore, Rahul's last red-ball stint before the Ranji Trophy semi-final game against Bengal, was back in 2019 in the Caribbean series.
In 36 Tests, Rahul averages a meek 34.58 with the bat. Lara says a batter shouldn't be given a long rope just because he looks promising. Though, he also adds that Rahul has the ability to be an all-format player.