Sunil Gavaskar likens KL Rahul and Karun Nair to Rahul Dravid and Gundappa Vishwanath
While Karnataka has given plenty of world-class cricketers to India, two batsmen stand out with their grace and artistry. Having played alongside Gundappa Viswanath and watched Rahul Dravid in action for quite a long time, batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar believes that the modern-day Karnataka duo of Karun Nair and KL Rahul showed glimpses of the masters of yore during their stellar knocks in the fifth Test against England at Chennai.
Even as Rahul fell one short of what could have been his maiden double century, Nair became only the second Indian batsman after Virender Sehwag to cross the 300-run mark. Due to their efforts, India were able to amass their highest ever Test total of 759 on a batting-friendly track at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
“Karnataka has two benchmarks in batsmanship. One is Gundappa Viswanath and the other is Rahul Dravid. I think Nair and Rahul's innings were a combination of the two. We saw the discipline and temperament of Rahul Dravid, and the flair and stroke play of Gundappa Viswanath in both the innings”, Gavaskar was quoted as saying to NDTV.
Upon making his debut in 1969, Viswanath‘s elegant cuts and nimble footwork made him a fan favourite. That 13 of his 14 Test centuries resulted in Indian wins (with the other one coming in a draw) showed the right-hander’s value to the team. Dravid, the fourth leading run-getter in Test cricket, was affectionately called ‘The Wall’ for his unflappable temperament and mastery across all conditions.
With KL Rahul and Nair establishing themselves in the batting lineup, the competition for spots could get heated up. The latter only managed to break into the playing eleven because of Ajinkya Rahane’s finger injury. When the Mumbaikar returns, the think tank might just have to compromise on one of their batsmen or Kohli’s preferred five-bowler ploy.
Gavaskar felt, “When Ajinkya Rahane comes back, it will be a tough call for the selectors. Anyways having more options is always good. Rahane may not have got runs in the series but he has been consistent before that. So, it's always good to have a replacement ready.”
The last few days have been quite fruitful for Indian sport with the hockey team lifting the Junior World Cup and Vijender Singh knocking out his Tanzanian opponent to defend the WBO Asia-Pacific Super middleweight boxing title.
Gavaskar enthused, "I would like to congratulate the hockey team for winning the Junior World Cup. Vijender Singh also defended his boxing title before that. It has been awesome three days for Indian sport."