India vs England: Time for K L Rahul to stand up and deliver

Leeds: KL Rahul is undoubtedly one of the enigmas in the current Indian team. There’s no doubt about his talent or technique as a batter, boasting of Test centuries in Australia, South Africa, and England — three of the toughest places to play cricket at. It’s one of the reasons why the 33-year-old has lasted for over a decade at the international level, even captaining the Test side in three matches.

Though a natural opener, Rahul has always shown inclination to bat anywhere as per the team’s demands. He can even don the wicket-keeping gloves, much like his illustrious namesake Rahul Dravid, and has excelled behind the wickets too, earning praise from many for his performances behind the stumps in the two matches in South Africa during the 2023-24 series. A total team man, he barely complains and goes about his work diligently.

The agonising factor, though, are his numbers in Test cricket that really don’t justify his talent. In the 58 red-ball games at the international level, Rahul has managed just 3257 runs at a modest average of 33.57, something which he himself has said he’s not happy about.

In his defence, though, there are reasons why Rahul has not been able to completely fulfill the potential that he promised as a youngster, striking a sublime century in his debut Test series in Australia. 

The first big worry for Rahul has been his numerous injury breakdowns throughout his career. Every time he recovers and appears set for a decent run, Rahul’s chiselled body gives up. The hamstring and the wrist issue in February-March 2021, a thigh strain in November the same year, a groin problem the next June, a thigh tendon issue in May 2023 and a quadriceps strain in February 2024 to mention a few recent ones.

Call it a double-whammy, because of the numerous check-ins to the hospital, Rahul has not been able to have a stable position in the batting order. In the recent years, he’s been moved up and down based on the team’s needs, which is never easy for anyone because each position requires a specific skill set and batters train according to it. 

Rahul, though, has to cop a bit of flak too for his inconsistency. Whenever he’s got a chance to play a full series, he starts well, then suffers a mid-series snag before recovering towards the end. In the first match of a series, he averages 34.41, 30.50 in the second, which then dips to 25.35 in the third, rising again to 34.18 in the fourth and peaking to 80.40 in the fifth, but the caveat being he’s played just three Tests in a five-game series.

Having gone through several ups and downs, Rahul now finally gets the chance to stabilise himself, and he needs to, considering he’s the senior most specialised batter in a transitioning Indian team. Along with Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, he’s the only batter with experience of having played in England among specialist batters. Although the character of the pitches has changed since Brendon McCullum took charge as coach and employed the high-octane ‘Bazball’, balls could still swing and seam around, and past experience of playing here could be highly beneficial.

Also, Rahul will get the stability he’s wanted all his life — bat at the top of the order. He will in all likelihood pair up with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order, and a lot will be riding on the starts he’s going to provide. Given this series is the start of a new World Test Championship two-year cycle for India and considering he’s 33, England is one great opportunity for him to grab the bull by its horns and lead the way for the younger lot. Be the batter he promised to be.