Strong composure and discipline at the crease have been key to his revival in Test cricket this year more than any technical changes, says KL Rahul. The India and Karnataka batter has made a heartwarming return to the top of the order with strong performances in England and South Africa cementing his place in the XI finally.
For a while, it seemed that India may never see Rahul fulfil his undoubted potential and class at the Test match level. The elegant right-hander was dropped from the team because of a sustained period of poor returns during India’s 2018-19 cycle of tours abroad.
But injuries to Shubman Gill and subsequently Mayank Agarwal gave him his comeback in England, where he played a pivotal role in India’s impressive series performance alongside fellow opener Rohit Sharma.
Rahul has now ended the year with a terrific hundred in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion against South Africa, playing his part in another historic victory.
Speaking about his measured knock of 123 off 160 balls on a green seaming pitch that got more and more uneven as the Test progressed, Rahul said he was focused on playing out the new ball on Day 1, recognising how crucial early wickets could have been.
“The grit and determination – really wanted to get my team off to a good start. On a challenging pitch the opening partnership is crucial. Really happy with my performance,”
Rahul said at the post-match presentation on December 30 as he was named the player of the match.
Rahul and his partner Agarwal added 117 runs in a decisive opening stand on Day 1 of the Test match. The duo played out the shiny new red Kookaburra ball on a spicy pitch and made things easier for the rest of the batting unit.
India’s middle-order couldn’t quite take advantage of the foundation that Rahul laid at his end. But in allowing his team to post a total of 327, he and Agarwal had played a giant role in India’s memorable victory as subsequent team scores for the Test match dipped to 197, 174 and 191.
Performances in England and the Proteas have been in stark contrast to Rahul’s returns during the previous cycle of overseas tours. Despite evident class and ability, Rahul made only 578 runs from his 27 innings from January 2018 till the end of August 2019, a period including tours to SA, England, Australia and home and away series versus the West Indies.
The tour of West Indies in August 2019 was the one where Rahul’s struggles were most evident. His technical issues started to play into the batter’s head and that reflected extremely poorly in his judgement at the crease.
Still, the Indian think-tank never lost their trust in Rahul. The selectors and the management gave him a break to try and regain his rhythm at the first-class level. Rahul couldn’t quite get time in the middle for Karnataka because of the pandemic, but he was still recalled for the tour of Australia last winter.
In this successful phase, Rahul believes, he hasn’t made technical changes but has instead focused on retaining a calm head and disciplined avatar at the crease, especially facing the new ball.
“Don’t think I’ve made too many technical changes. It’s about my mindset, how calm and disciplined I am. It’s all coming nicely now. Discipline I’ve shown has been the biggest contribution for me in performing away from home. It’s something I’m proud of (his overseas hundreds),”
he said.
