How KL Rahul Became A Fan Favourite In Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

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KL Rahul's contribution with bat as India's opening batter and being a solid team player earned him the deserved respect from cricket community during Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.
KL Rahul, India's opening batter, concluded his five-match Test series in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on a rather tame end when he guided one of Josh Tongue's deliveries into the pockets of Joe Root in the slips. He was dismissed for 7. Rahul was undone for 14 when he was cleaned up by Chris Woakes in India's first innings during the fifth and final Test at The Oval. However, the stylish right-handed batter has been in sublime form throughout the series, and he would be a happy campaigner looking back at his 532 accumulated runs. His tally of runs includes two centuries and as many half-centuries.
As we conclude the series, the fans on social media have taken time from their lives to give Rahul the due credit for helping India have a dependable batter on top who is equally elegant and plays handsome cover drives.
Tapasvi
India were 0 for 2 in their second innings during the fourth Test at Old Trafford Stadium with England sniffing a potential Test series win around the corner. Thankfully for India, Rahul, along with captain Shubman Gill, had no plans to bow down to the English.
Rahul played a solid 230-ball 90, helping steady the ship with Gill (103), which was later manoeuvred by Ravindra Jadeja (107) and Washington Sundar (101). India escaped a defeat and frustrated the home team with a hard-earned draw.
'At some point, I hope people start giving him the respect he deserves. He's playing like a tapasvi, a true ascetic at the crease. He may have missed his century, but he's been the backbone of India's top order this series," Akash Chopra, responding to Rahul's grit, expressed.
'We expected to miss Rohit at some point, given how good he was last time here. But KL and Yashasvi have done incredibly well. They've been solid and confident, and that's been vital," the commentator added.
Standing Up For Team
On Day two of the fifth Test, Rahul was at his candid when he questioned the umpire Kumar Dharmasena if the visiting side should keep quiet, just play bat and bowl, and not engage in any kind of emotion. Rahul was responding to the on-field back-and-forth unfolding between England star Joe Root and Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna wherein the latter was trying to rattle Root. The English batter seemed every bit animated and did not like what was being said to him by Krishna. When Root came at Krishna, Rahul decided to step in.
'What do you want us to do? Be quiet?" an annoyed Rahul asked Dharmasena. 'Will you like any bowler who comes and walks to you? No, you can't do that. No, Rahul, we shouldn't go on that way," Dharmasena told in response.
'What do you want us to do? Just bat and ball and go home," Rahul retorted. 'We will discuss at the end of the match. You can't talk like that," the umpire added.
Series Stats
KL Rahul in Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy:
Tests: 5
Runs: 532
Average: 53.20
100s: 2
50s: 2
Rahul, unfortunately, fell short of the great Sunil Gavaskar by just 11 runs. Gavaskar had piled up 542 as an Indian opener against England in 1979.
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First Published:
August 02, 2025, 13:14 IST
News explainers How KL Rahul Became A Fan Favourite In Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
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