Is KL Rahul the new comeback king? Plagued by injuries and inconsistencies, KL Rahul’s career hasn’t flourished the way it should have. But after every low, Rahul roars back in form with some scintillating knocks. After a lengthy layoff following hamstring injury, he returned in the Asia Cup against Pakistan and hit a century. Out of Test team due to a poor run of form, he has returned with a bang. What could be his best knock in Test cricket, he hit a ton in Centurion in the IND vs SA 1st Test.
Against Pakistan, KL Rahul hit an unbeaten 111 as India went on to win the match. And now in Centurion, he has put India in a competitive position with his 101-run knock.
India were down 107/5 and staring at a debacle in the first innings under cloudy conditions. But KL Rahul took matters into his own hands. Even as wickets kept tumbling, Rahul anchored the innings from one end. With Shardul Thakur, he added a crucial 43-run stand and then followed it up with a 47-run stand with Mohammed Siraj to take India to 245.
“Well played KL Rahul. What impressed me was his clarity of thought. His footwork looked precise and assured, and that happens when a batter is thinking right. This century is crucial in the context of this Test. India would be happy with 245 considering where they were at one stage yesterday,” Sachin Tendulkar said praising KL Rahul’s knock in Centurion.
KL Rahul cements No 6 spot?
And with that effort, the new king of the comeback has now sealed his spot at No 6. As KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan both haven’t quite impressed the selectors, KL Rahul will get an extended run as a wicketkeeper batter.
With the five-match England series coming up in January, Rahul is all set to be India’s designated keeper-batter with Rishabh Pant still out.
