KL Rahul averages 34.12 from 51 Tests. Does he deserve direct place in playing XI? Let's dissect KL Rahul's performance in Test across the positions he batted?
KL Rahul was rated as an all-format opener when he broke into international cricket. After initial success, Rahul has flattered to deceive across formats. His batting style of an accumulator is considered best suited for the longer version of the game. But 51 Tests later, he averages 34.12, although having played mostly as an opener throughout his Test career.
He now finds himself in a new role at No. 6, as there is a settled opening pair in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma. At No. 6, he also finds himself competing with younger players in Sarfaraz Khan, who has done well in the limited opportunities he has received.
Ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh, there is a question mark on Rahul’s place in the XI. What would India’s strategy be going into the Kanpur Test?
First, let’s look at Rahul’s batting at various positions in Test cricket.
Position | Match | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s/50s |
No 1 | 26 | 41 | 1601 | 40.02 | 4/8 |
No 2 | 23 | 34 | 950 | 28.78 | 3/4 |
No 3 | 4 | 5 | 88 | 17.60 | 0/1 |
No 4 | 1 | 2 | 108 | 54.00 | 0/1 |
No 6 | 4 | 6 | 154 | 30.80 | 1/0 |
Overall | 51 | 88 | 2901 | 34.12 | 8/14 |
Except for 13 Test innings, he has played all his 88 innings as an opener in Test cricket, doing reasonably well. Although averaging in the mid-30s as an opener (34.94 to be precise), it cannot be denied that Rahul bats at a position that is most vulnerable to losing wickets due to the freshness of the pitch, a red shining ball, and fresh energy from the pacers. He has scored seven tons in 75 innings as an opener, averaging one century per 10 innings. He has made some brilliant tons as an opener in overseas conditions as his natural game of grinding out the bowling attack comes in handy.
Read More: Yashasvi Jaiswal average dips to 36.9 against pacers; How should he address this weakness?
Rahul has done decently in new role
However, the emergence of attacking opener Yashasvi Jaiswal while coinciding with Rahul’s injuries saw the former getting paired up with Rohit Sharma at the top since then. The crowd in the top saw even Shubman Gill, who too started as an opener, taking the challenge of playing at No. 3 after Cheteshwar Pujara was phased out. Hence, there was no vacancy at the top once Rahul returned.
However, Rahul is too good a Test player to sit out in the dressing room as a reserve opener and wait for his chances. Instead, the management found him a new position at No. 6 in Tests, and he did well instantly, scoring a ton in just his second innings against South Africa at Centurion in 2023. He also kept wickets in the match. Rahul’s initial success at No. 6 gave India a chance to persist with Rahul in the middle order, where he can be effective, scoring a few vital runs with the tailenders and giving impetus to India's innings. He is expected to play similar impact innings like Rishabh Pant at No. 5, where the two can toy with the bowling attack, which is getting tired and has an old ball to play with.
Competition in India’s middle-order
But there is enough competition even in the middle order, and unless KL Rahul keeps performing, he might see himself lose his new role as well. Sarfaraz has done brilliantly in the middle order in the few Test innings he has played so far. There is also Shreyas Iyer waiting to make a comeback and get his position back. Other players waiting on the wings to play in the middle order include Rajat Patidar and even Dhruv Jurel, who did well as a middle-order batter in the England series.
Although Rahul might get another chance in the Kanpur Test, he would be aware that another failure would see him lose his place in the XI, as getting the opener’s role back does not look like a possibility at the moment. Hence, Rahul has to make the best of the opportunities he gets in the Kanpur Test to not only claim his spot at No. 6 but also be in contention for the all-important Test series against Australia Down Under.
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