When KL Rahul reached his half-century in the first T20I against Australia at Visakhapatnam on Sunday, 24 February, it really helped easing up his nerves. Not only because he got some runs under his belt on his comeback to the national side, but also because of the way he played throughout his innings.
It had everything, starting from mouth-watering lofted cover drives to his signature wristy flicks over square leg. And the one common thing helping him to play those shots with such authority, was the perfect synchronisation of his footwork and hand-eye co-ordination – something that he had been struggling with in recent times.
Everyone was happy to see him striking form in his comeback to the Indian XI after what has been a tough six months or so for him. After all, he is an important piece in India’s jigsaw puzzle for the upcoming World Cup in England.
“At such a major tournament (World Cup), we can’t afford to go in without a third opener. That’s why we have included KL Rahul for the T20Is and the ODIs against Australia. We have to see how he performs because his form is also very important,” Chief Selector MSK Prasad was quoted as saying on Hotstar, before the beginning of the series.
Rahul was also happy to have repaid the faith of the selectors with such a well-compiled fifty but was equally disappointed for not being able to carry on and convert it into a big one. This T20I and ODI series are his last chance of making his case for a World Cup berth and he wouldn’t want to squander it away.
The way he played on this tough pitch made it evident that he was the best batsman on the day, and such an innings must have given him a lot of confidence to keep going in the upcoming matches.
With his innings in the series opener against Australia, Rahul turned the clock back to the way he was playing around 10 months back, in the 2018 edition of the IPL.
KL Rahul Turns the Clock With Comeback Knock
Rahul seemed to be in the form of his life back then. Playing for Kings XI Punjab, he amassed a total of 659 runs in 14 matches last season, at an average of 54.91 and a strike-rate of 158.41. He continued that rich vein of form in the following one-off T20I against Ireland, in which he scored an unbeaten 70 off just 36 deliveries, and also in the three-match T20I series against England in which he scored an unbeaten 101 in the first match.
However, his form took a steep decline once the ODI series and then the Test series kicked off. Yes, he has always been utilised a bit out of his natural position in ODIs but he has no excuse for his poor returns in Tests in 2018, a format in which he has always been allowed to bat at his preferred opening position.
He averaged just 22.28 in Tests last year as his weakness in swinging and seaming conditions was found out. He did raise expectations with his innings of 149 in the final Test against England but it proved to be a false hope as he struggled in the following series against West Indies at home, and in Australia once again. He averaged 18.50 and 11.40 in those series, respectively, and started getting flak from every nook and corner of the country.
Rahul’s poor Test form had translated into the shorter formats also as he amassed only 59 and 27 runs in the T20I series against the Windies and Australia, respectively. This was when the selectors felt that it was time to drop him for the series in New Zealand and send him back to domestic cricket, with the hope that he’d be able to grind his way back to the top of his abilities.
However, the 26-year-old didn’t take too long, putting in promising performances for India against the touring England Lions. After doing decently in the unofficial One-Day series , he returned with scores of 81 and 89 in consecutive innings of the second unofficial Test, thus re-gaining some lost confidence.
The selectors were also delighted to see such quick turnaround from Rahul, and immediately rewarded him with a place in India’s T20I and ODI squads for the series against Australia, to give him one last chance to prove his mettle before they embark upon their journey for the mega event in England.
High Time Rahul Finds Some Consistency
Although he seems to have gotten his touch back, his habit of throwing starts away is still a cause of concern. He could have easily gone on to score big runs in the unofficial Test against the England Lions and also in the first T20I against Australia. But he threw away his opportunity each time.
Rahul needs to realise that the selectors have given him adequate number of chances to prove himself and he will get many more in this ongoing series. To give him game time, the management has even made an in-form batsman like Shikhar Dhawan sit out.
But if he fails to grab these opportunities, the doors to the Indian dressing room might become very tough to open for him in the future. So it is high time that Rahul finds some consistency to go with his potential.
(Prasenjit Dey is a freelance cricket writer. He can be reached at @CricPrasen. The opinions expressed are the author’s own and The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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