KL Rahul | file photo
KL Rahul One of the best batsmen. He has made his way into the Indian team and is one of the few players who are good in all three formats of the game, but rather great.
KL Rahul IPL RCB beat LSG by 14 runs to end yesterday. This was Rahul’s third consecutive season where he crossed the 600-run landmark. In all, he now has four seasons where he has scored 600+ runs.
This is no ordinary feat as he is the only person to have done it four times. Chris Gayle And David Warner is second in this list. Both have achieved the landmark thrice. The number is outstanding. But have these numbers helped his team?
Unfortunately, not so much. Rahul has the numbers, his intention to bat long and deep and hold on to one end can be justified to some extent. But was this not the case with Punjab Kings?
Apart from him and Mayank at the top, only Pooran was a known big hitter. Gayle was terribly bad and Hooda was not really doing his best. Shah Rukh Khan was just an up and coming hitter who showed a spark of talent all the time. So it made sense for him to bat deep and long. Rahul ended the 2021 season with a strike rate of 138.80.
This season they have players like Stoinis, Krunal, Lewis, Badoni, QDK, Holder and an in-form Hooda. But still, he has finished the season with a strike rate of 135. What is even more frustrating is that he has all the ability to go first ball in the world.
Who can forget his coveted 50 off 14 balls for Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018? KL has played 56 T20 matches for India with an average of 40.68 and a strike rate of 142.
Rahul’s intention may be right, but this thing has been going on for a long time, which can be ignored. Rahul scored 79 runs in Eliminator vs RCB
58 deliveries, and one end held. But then, as has happened many times before, the other batsmen did not step up.
One can argue that even if Rahul had played aggressively, the Lucknow Super Giants would not have come close to the target. But the thing is, if Rahul is playing the way he is, then he has to take the responsibility of finishing the game.
This is a double edged sword. If it turns off, it won’t be a problem for anyone. But if it doesn’t happen then everyone will be in trouble.
But Rahul has tried to play this way and has tried it for a long time. Maybe the time has come for the real KL Rahul to stand up. Which has the ability to destroy any attack in the world. One who knows the word can create fear in the opposition camp.