‘Total team man KL Rahul doesn't know how good a player he is': Gavaskar raves about India opener's technical perfection
The Indian batters were forced to brave a tricky period of play late in the evening on Day 3 of the Leeds Test. England's rapid charge towards their first-innings 471-run total meant the visitors entered the second innings with a six-run cushion in their pocket. The conditions on Sunday evening stood in stark contrast to the Leeds of Friday morning, when bright sunshine welcomed Indian openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal to make the most out of a flatbed pitch.
Even as Jaiswal poked hard to fall caught-behind and debutant Sai Sudharsan's busy stint cut short with a chip to the short mid-wicket fielder, Rahul remained stoic and solid while flaying the England pacers with his exquisite strokeplay. India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar remarked that despite the Karnataka batter's immaculate potential, Rahul has yet to convert his talent to consistent performances in international cricket. No visiting opener has recorded more runs than Rahul in England since his first appearance here in 2018. Interestingly, Rahul has not struck a Test century at home since 2016, in a period that has marked four hundreds in England and South Africa.
'Total team man. He has even been asked to keep wickets. He does that for the team, and that's what you want in the team. You see the way he reacts to the situation. He's got an equanimity about him, which is so rare because in today's day and age where everybody's got to be doing things to show that they have achieved something, his celebrations are also muted. One thing everybody agrees about KL Rahul is that he doesn't know how good a player he is. I mean, he would agree,' said Gavaskar.
Classy KL rahul with leg drive 😯❤️#klrahul #INDvsENG #ENGvsIND #cricketpic.twitter.com/y2hnmYpSxS
— Sports banter (@sports_bante) June 22, 2025
Rahul's blazing strokeplay meant he added 47 runs on the back of seven boundaries, leading India to stumps at 90 for two alongside skipper Shubman Gill. Praising his technical perfection and the purity of the cover drive, Gavaskar said he could keep raving about the India opener's shot-making.
'He's got so much talent. Look at all the shots on the offside, leg-side, the flick, everything. All the shots, but he hasn't lived up to that. Now, that could be a bit of self-doubt in his mind or whatever that sometimes keeps the Bangalore boys from fulfilling their potential,' said Gavaskar.
'Thrilling to watch off the front foot, off the back foot, then the straight batter drive, which we saw just now and the cover drive. I can rave about that cover drive because there's perfection in that.'
'I hope that he comes good in this series and scores over 500, maybe 700 runs. That would be fantastic from India,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
15 minutes ago
- Business Standard
ENG vs IND 1st Test: Hourly weather report of Headingley, Leeds on June 23
India had a mixed outing on Day 3 of the first Test vs England at Headingley, Leeds, as despite having big runs in the bank and Bumrah's historic five-wicket haul, they could only manage a 6-run lead in the first innings due to England's Bazball approach in the latter stages. However, the Indian batters came out with the same intent in the second innings and added 90 runs for the loss of two wickets by the end of the day to take their overall lead to 96. Now, with just two days to go and almost two full innings still to be played, the match is likely heading towards a draw, unless the cloudy weather in Leeds triggers another batting collapse on Monday. IND vs ENG 1st Test: Leeds weather report for June 23 According to the latest weather reports from for Leeds, United Kingdom, the day will begin with a partly sunny morning and a 20 percent chance of rain. However, the chances of rain drop to zero starting at 8 AM, just before the start of the match. While there is no prediction of rain post 9 AM, intermittent clouds can still pose the risk of impromptu showers any time during the day, given the unpredictable nature of England's weather. Rain is expected to resume from 7 PM, but with the match scheduled to end by 6:30 PM, even with extra time added, weather is not expected to be a concern for Day 4. Batters' day out on Day 4? Despite having the reputation of being a batter's graveyard, Headingley usually offers better batting conditions on the last two days of play, as many memorable run chases at this venue suggest, including Ben Stokes' historic 135* to help England beat Australia in the 2019 Ashes. If India need to save this match, they must put at least a 350-plus lead on the board; otherwise, the English side will fancy their chances of chasing it down in typical Bazball style.
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘We needed an all-rounder': Sourav Ganguly says VVS Laxman ‘didn't speak for 3 months' after 2003 World Cup snub
VVS Laxman was arguably in the form of his life in Test cricket in the lead-up to the 2003 ODI World Cup, and despite his exemplary strokeplay the elegant Hyderabad batter was dropped from the squad for the tournament in South Africa. Laxman's then-captain, Sourav Ganguly, recently revealed that the 2001 Kolkata Test hero did not speak to him for nearly three months after being snubbed for the inclusion of Dinesh Mongia. The then-selection committee chief, Kiran More, had said last year that all five national selectors were in favour of Laxman's inclusion, but captain Ganguly and coach John Wright had other plans. 'Before the 2003 ODI World Cup selection meeting, we had a huge argument when the Indian team was playing in New Zealand. As per the inputs received from the captain and the coach, we selected a 14-member squad and asked them what they thought of it. Over the conference call, Ganguly had a different opinion. We had selected VVS Laxman as our middle-order batter. Ganguly was very smart. He was a brilliant captain, a person with a great cricketing brain. He said 'we need an all-rounder',' More had told on former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif's YouTube channel. Ganguly recently stated that Laxman was devastated by the snub that left him without a World Cup appearance to his name despite featuring in 86 ODIs for India. 'It has happened many times when we rested players. They were unhappy. Laxman being left out of the World Cup…he never spoke to me for three months. Then I made up with him. Anybody would get upset…for a World Cup. Especially a player of Laxman's calibre. Quite natural that he would get upset,' Ganguly told PTI. India had a near-flawless run to the finals, where they were stunned by a dominant Australian side led by Ricky Ponting in a 125-run victory. Ganguly recounted the reconciliation and how Laxman made a successful ODI comeback that marked his best ever white-ball season for India in 2004, scoring 841 runs
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Jasprit Bumrah is the ‘most complete bowler ever', says former England pacer Steven Finn
Former English pacer Steven Finn hailed India's Jasprit Bumrah as 'the most complete fast bowler ever.' Bumrah continued his record-breaking spree in Test after getting his 14th career five-wicket haul during the first innings of 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Sunday. Finn went to social media X and wrote, 'Making a case for Jasprit Bumrah as the most complete fast bowler in the history of the game. It's hard to refute in my opinion,' while referring to his column for the BBC. 'Guys…. It's impossible to compare eras exactly, I know that. I love fast bowling and all the greats everyone is mentioning. But, I think Bumrah is complete,' he added. Bumrah's five for 83 ensured England got bundled out for 465 in their first innings, handing India a slender six-run lead. In his column, Finn wrote, 'We're lucky to be in an era of great fast bowlers. From recent international retirees Stuart Broad and James Anderson, to Kagiso Rabada, Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.' But the English pacers keep the Indian ace pacer above all of them. 'Bumrah sits atop of them all as the finest fast bowler to have played the game. Some accolade,' he added. He went on to heap praise for the World No. 1 Test bowler. 'If I ever had the misfortune of facing Bumrah, he'd be done with me in a maximum of two deliveries. A good short ball, then a searing yorker would do the trick. I'd hold out hope he'd go straight for the second of those options as, by all accounts, it is incredibly hard to see the ball when Bumrah is bowling. He would cause a tailender like me some harm.' On Sunday, Bumrah also equalled Kapil Dev for the most Test five-wicket hauls (12) among Indian bowlers in away Tests. He also went on to equal R Ashwin (11 in 78 innings) for the most five-fors in the World Test Championship in only 67 innings. Speaking on Bumrah's bowling acumen, Finn wrote, 'Bumrah is a thinker about the game and would have been India's first choice as the new Test captain has it not been for his struggle to play in every match. He took the decision himself to not pursue the job as he did not feel it was fair on the team.'
