Rahul has a lot of character, says Kohli

Virat Kohli feels playing KL Rahul at No 6 in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne was ‘unfair’ on the Karnataka batsman. Kohli said Rahul, an opener, should have batted at the top of the order and that’s what he ensured in the final Test here.

Rahul lasted all of seven balls spread over two innings on his debut at the MCG. However, opening the innings along with M Vijay, the 22-year-old Rahul brought up a hard-fought 110 in the first innings to vindicate Kohli’s decision.

“I thought it wasn’t fair on a guy, who has been selected as a third opener, to make him bat at No 6,” Kohli noted here on Saturday. “He has a certain game, and he likes to play a certain way. We felt that we could give Rahul a chance in this game. I wanted to make him open, honestly, because he looked confident in the nets.”

Kohli was also impressed with Rahul’s composure and character. “He is a guy who has a lot of character,” Kohli stressed. “He showed a lot of composure against a good bowling attack. He got his maiden hundred in Australia and I know that feeling (Kohli’s maiden century came in Australia). I’m sure it’s special for him. The way he played for the team, especially with the scoreboard pressure, it was lovely to see him step up,” he offered.

The captain said his position at No 4 was a flexible one. “Even Rohit at No 3 did well. We sat and figured out where certain batsmen needed to bat for us to have the best chance of winning Test matches. It’s all about focussing on slots. I may not be at No. 4 all the time. It depends on the interests of the team, what the team wants to achieve in a particular series. Happy to see Rohit and Rahul both get runs.”