Ever since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from Test cricket, there have been numerous debates on who KL Rahul would replace. Rahul could be the opener India needed in difficult times, and he would have been the perfect No 4 India deserved after Kohli. After going back and forth, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir persisted with Rahul as the opener. Rahul dominated the first hour of the IND vs ENG Headingley Test, providing a perfect start. But all ended with an imperfect finish as Rahul was dismissed for 42.
Until the 78th delivery, Rahul seemed in control, dominating the passage of play. While Jaiswal still had some moments of scare, Rahul seemed nonchalant. Rahul attacked struggling England pacers in the first hour. There was no respite on the loose balls. And he was steadfast when he got deliveries outside off stumps. He was cautious but steady, giving England pacers no chance in the first session even under overcast conditions. That prompted captain Ben Stokes to bowl 5.4 overs to stop the onslaught.
KL-assy knock
Rahul’s Test career has been marred by injuries and inconsistencies in batting and batting position. Despite scoring most of his centuries away from home, Rahul still did not have a permanent place in the Test XI. He had no assurance of a batting position either. IND vs ENG Test series was supposed to change that, considering Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had retired. Rahul also made a statement during the last England tour, scoring a century at Lord’s.
And as Rahul got the nod to play as an opener, effectively replacing Rohit, he seemed destined for a big knock. In his first 77 deliveries, Rahul looked unstoppable. Some even reminded his 149 at the Oval or the 129 at Lord’s. Rahul hit eight boundaries in those deliveries, playing the perfect knock, adding 91 runs for the opening stand. He let the balls outside off stump go and then punched on the full deliveries.
KL Rahul in England
| Batting position | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 18 | 614 | 149 | 34.11 | 2 | 1 |
| As an Opener | 16 | 597 | 149 | 37.31 | 2 | 1 |
| At No 3 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 8.50 | 0 | 0 |
Imperfect finish
However, as it has happened with KL Rahul, it went from great to worse in just one delivery. After dominating the first 77 deliveries, Rahul got caught up in his own world of perfection. It was another full delivery outside the off stump by Brydon Carse. Rahul was immediately tempted to drive it for a four.
But this time, he made a mistake. Even though Rahul approached to drive it through the covers, as he saw the ball swinging away, he tried to course correct. Instead of playing a drive, Rahul tried to go for a slice. But in the milliseconds of decision making, Rahul got caught in two minds and ended up edging it to Joe Root in the first slip. All that classy batting went up in smoke in just milliseconds.
“KL Rahul played brilliantly. When you saw him driving or defending, he was playing through the line. But, the ball he got out to, it was more of a slash. I think he was caught in two minds, whether to place it or hit it hard, as the ball had started swinging a bit more,” Deep Dasgupta said of KL Rahul’s dismissal on JioHotstar.
