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The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Rahul's moment of reckoning in Engla
For the past two-and-a-half months, K.L. Rahul's primary focus had been on striving to show through the IPL that he has evolved into a more purposeful T20 batter. Subjected to an avalanche of criticism in recent years for his relatively staid approach in the shortest format, a return of 539 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 149.72 this year, his highest since 2018, points to success in that endeavour. That Delhi Capitals flattered to deceive again is another matter. Barely had the dust settled on a long-drawn-out IPL campaign, though, that the 33-year-old has another point to prove. Which is to show that he can take on the mantle of being India's senior-most batter when the marquee five-Test series against England gets underway at Headingley on June 20. It is a monumental responsibility that stares him in the face now that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with a combined experience of 190 Tests and 13,531 runs, have retired. Ideal warm-up To ensure that his preparation is top-notch, Rahul is doing his bit. He dashed to the United Kingdom of his own accord prior to the Test squad's official departure from Mumbai on June 6. With India-A's second four-day game against England Lions at Northampton kicking off on that day, he was immediately in the thick of the action, taking guard against a brand new Dukes ball under overcast skies on a grass-laden strip that was difficult to distinguish from the lush outfield. And he made the most of the precious time in the middle, easing his way to a serene 116 off 168 deliveries on the opening day of the contest. In the second innings as well, Rahul made merry with a brisk half-century. With Chris Woakes, who is likely to helm England's pace attack in the opening Test, extracting a fair degree of swing in the first dig, the fallibility of the other top-order batters — namely Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair — was in marked contrast to the compactness of Rahul. During the course of his century, which saw him chew up more than four hours at the crease, the opening batter exhibited all the tenets that are of essence to batting in Tests in England. He played late and close to his body, demonstrating astute judgment in letting a vast majority of deliveries outside off-stump pass through to the wicketkeeper. Barring a loose drive that went to the left of first slip when he was on 63, there was hardly an errant stroke until he nicked medium-pacer George Hill to second slip in the 62nd over of the innings. By batting for as long as he did, Rahul managed to get an intimate view of Woakes and rookie seamer Josh Tongue (both are part of England's main squad). For him to particularly deny Woakes, who claimed three scalps on his return from an ankle injury, a psychological edge going into a long and arduous Test series could be significant in the weeks to follow. 'Rahul played really well. It was a very good hundred on a wicket that did a bit all day,' was Woakes' assessment at the end of the first day's play. Senior statesman It sets up Rahul nicely for a potentially defining phase of his Test career. With 58 Tests under his belt since the baptism by fire against Australia in the Boxing Day Test of 2014, the man from Karnataka is now very much the elder statesman who has to guide the cohort of young Indian batters through this phase of transition. To do that, he will have to firstly ensure that his own performances go up a few notches. Despite having the class and composure that separates the wheat from the chaff, Rahul's Test career has meandered along for the best part of a decade. In 101 innings in whites for India, he has accrued 3257 runs at an average of 33.57 with just eight hundreds. If he is still extremely pivotal to India succeeding in England, it is because he can churn out runs away from home. As many as seven of his eight three-figure scores, after all, have been amassed outside India. He is arguably India's most technically sound batter right now, and has the capability of digging in for long periods and grinding down bowling attacks in hostile conditions. Rahul's robust technique was put in place at a very early age, and it was only much later, with the advent of the IPL and the rising emphasis on T20 cricket, that he expanded his range of strokeplay. 'If you speak to cricketers I grew up with, like Karun and Mayank Agarwal, they will tell you that I couldn't hit a six till I was 20 or 21,' he told former England captain Nasser Hussain in an interview with Sky Sports in April. 'I was branded as a red-ball cricketer early in my career. Playing defensively came naturally to me. There was more red-ball cricket when I was growing up. A lot of the early coaching that I went through was about keeping the ball along the ground, leaving a lot of deliveries and playing in the V.' Some of these attributes were on show in the five-Test series against Australia Down Under at the end of last year. Against an unyielding bowling attack that had all bases covered, Rahul was zen-like while notching up scores of 77 and 84 in Perth and Melbourne. But as the tour progressed, Rahul tapered off, emblematic of a career that has at once enthralled and exasperated. The ambiguity around his batting position during the series, a running theme through his career, may not have helped. Having settled for a middle-order role in the past couple of years, he was asked to open the batting in the first Test owing to Rohit's unavailability for the birth of his second child. Rahul excelled with a contribution of 77 in the second innings, and stayed there for two more Tests before sliding down to No. 3 in Melbourne to accommodate Rohit's preference to return as opener. When the India skipper decided to drop himself for the finale in Sydney, Rahul was again back to the top of the order. Judging by the warm-up game against England Lions, he will now continue at the opening slot alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal for the foreseeable future. The left-right pair did seem to complement each other well in Australia, memorably racking up a partnership of 201 in the second innings to set up a 295-run win in Perth. Rahul can also draw from his fond memories of touring England in 2021. In the second Test at Lord's Cricket Ground, he produced a masterful contribution of 129 to get onto the hallowed Honours Board as India sauntered to a 151-run victory. 'It will definitely be in my top three knocks,' Rahul said in the interview. 'When I went into the series, I was looking at how I can leave more balls outside off-stump. I knew it was going to be hard. I had trained really hard and worked on my game. Playing at Lord's is something that every cricketer looks forward to. When I entered the dressing room before the Test, I looked at the Honours Board and thought it would be great if I could put my name up there. Two days later, I went out there and got a hundred. It was very satisfying.' The keenness to thrive in England doesn't seem to have waned in the slightest. 'I love red-ball cricket. I grew up watching Tests in England and Australia. There is something about Test cricket that's really pure and that has stuck with me,' he told Hussain. 'I'm really looking forward to the Test summer in England. It is always a tour that we look forward to. I've been there a couple of times and I have enjoyed it.' Rahul's words are laced with the right intentions without doubt. If he can now walk the talk by producing the volume of runs against England that his ability has long dictated, it may mark the dawn of an exciting chapter in Rahul's winding Test career. And perhaps put fans of Indian cricket at ease about how a new era post Kohli and Rohit will unfold.
India.com
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
'Don't step out after...': This batter paid a huge price for not listening to Rohit Sharma, got mugged during...
Rohit Sharma with Team India. (PIC - X) New Delhi: A big revelation has been made about the star batsman of the Indian cricket team. Actually, this experienced batsman was robbed in 2012. This incident did not happen in India, but in the West Indies, which was revealed years later. Actually, this cricketer is the legendary test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who is currently out of Team India. Recently, during the launch of his wife Pooja Pujara's book 'The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife', Rohit Sharma narrated the story of how Pujara had to pay a heavy price for not agreeing. Actually, this incident happened during the Indian cricket team's tour of the West Indies in 2012. At that time Pujara was a part of the India-A team, when the team was in Trinidad and Tobago, he was robbed. During the book launch, Rohit asked Pujara about this incident of 2012, 'I haven't told. I mean, she is aware but she doesn't know the details. I am a vegetarian. So we were looking for a vegetarian meal at night. It was in TNT (Trinidad and Tobago) where we went out at 11 in the evening. We didn't find the meal but when we were walking back, I was mugged. I can't tell you in detail about it but that's the story he is referring to.' Rohit Sharma said that he had advised Pujara not to leave the hotel after 9 pm, because some areas of West Indies are not considered safe at night. Rohit told that Pujara had to go out to eat at night. Rohit said, 'Moral of the story is that he can be stubborn. We told him. We warned him not to go out in the night. Don't step out after 9 PM. This is the West Indies.' WATCH VIDEO BELOW: Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara share shocking incident about not going out after 9 pm in West Indies. — ⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) June 7, 2025 '(It was) such a big injury (and) such a bad injury. Both his ACL were gone. For any cricketer, leave alone if you are not an athlete or not playing any sport, for a sportsman it's very, very tough if you lose both your ACL,' Rohit Sharma said. 'We used to tease him about his running technique and all that but he managed to play more than 100 Test matches for India after that, a lot of credit goes to him for how he managed it. Great amount of dedication and passion he had to play the sport,' Rohit Sharma added.
India.com
3 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
IND vs ENG: Not KL Rahul! This star batter may open with Yashasvi Jaiswal in England Tour as Australian legend says...
In this collection of pictures we shall know the star batter who might open with Yashasvi Jaiswal in England Tour. Interestingly, it's not KL Rahul. Let's dive in. KL Rahul has staked his claim to be the opener in the Test series against England by scoring a century while opening the innings against England Lions. He opened the innings for India-A in the second unofficial Test match against England Lions and scored 116 runs in the first innings. However, a 23-year-old explosive batsman is also in the race to become Yashasvi Jaiswal's partner. This batsman showed with his stormy batting in the recently concluded IPL 2025 that he is adept at opening the threads of the ball. Former Australian captain and great batsman Ricky Ponting has also supported this young batsman to become Yashasvi's opening partner. The Indian cricket team will take the field in the first Test of the five-match Test series against England on June 20. This is going to be a new phase for the Indian team under the leadership of new Test captain Shubman Gill. After the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, there are going to be many big changes in the batting unit, in which many young faces will also be seen. However, after Rohit's retirement, the opening spot is a big question as to who will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Veteran batsman KL Rahul opened in four out of five Tests in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in which runs also came from his bat. In such a situation, it is being speculated that now after Rohit Sharma's retirement, the management can field him as an opener. However, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has chosen Sai Sudharsan for this role. Ponting said that this is the right time to give this 23-year-old a chance to debut in the longest format. He believes that Rahul's experience will help the team in the middle order. Let us tell you that Sai Sudharsan has not made his Test debut for India. However, he has made his debut for India's white ball team. In IPL 2025, this explosive batsman scored a lot of runs and won the Orange Cap with 759 runs. Speaking to the Indian Express, Ponting said, "I said this because if they go with (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and if Sai Sudharsan is the second opener, then they need another experienced player at number three. So KL can be at three or Karun Nair can be at three and Shubman can be at four... once you are set in this, you can take yourself back to number three." The veteran further said, "I think it is the right time for Sudharsan to come into the team, honestly. Now there are going to be some changes in the Indian team, obviously with Rohit and Virat not being there. Every team goes through this phase... I think Sudharsan is ready."
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
KL Rahul in red-ball arena: Revisiting his performance in English conditions
New Delhi [India] June 5 (ANI): Indian batter KL Rahul has joined the India-A squad for the 2nd unofficial test against the England Lions squad starting from June 6. KL is also part of the Indian team that will kick off India's World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 cycle against England on June 20. KL Rahul has played 9 Test matches in England, scoring 614 runs at an average of 34.11, with a highest score of 149. He has 2 centuries and 1 half-century in those matches. In 2018, India's tour of England saw KL score 299 runs in ten innings, including a century. His average in that series was under 30, and his strike rate was 66.4. In 2021, India's tour of England saw KL increase his stats. He scored 315 runs in eight innings with an average of 39.4, including a century and a fifty each. In 58 test matches, KL has made 3257 at an average KL has played 58 test matches so far in his career. The batter has made 3257 at an average of 33.57 and a strike rate of 52.80. His best test score (199) also came against England back in 2016. He has played 13 home and away test matches against England, in which the batter has made 955 at an average of 39.79. India tour of England will take place from June to August 2025, with matches at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London). While KL has reached England, Shubman Gill, India's new test skipper, was appointed Rohit's successor in the format. He was in contention to compete in the second unofficial Test for India A against the England Lions in Northampton from June 6. However, he won't take part, considering he will depart with the remaining squad for England on Thursday. India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. (ANI)
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First Post
03-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Jaiswal, Reddy, Jurel gain crucial runs and confidence as India A vs England Lions first unofficial Test ends in draw
The second India A vs England Lions unofficial Test will be played at Northampton from 6-9 June. read more Nitish Reddy and Dhruv Jurel kept India A going in their second innings against England Lions in the first unofficial Test match at Canterbury on Monday. The match ended in a draw. Nitish Reddy 52 (47)and Dhruv Jurel 53 (53) remained not out on the crease as India-A finished Day four on 241/2. Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 64 while Abhimanyu Easwaran scored 68. The duo stitched 123 runs for the opening wicket. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India-A started off their second innings after lunch as they bowled out Lions for 585-9. Jaiswal and Easwaran opened the innings for India-A. Jaiswal started India's second innings with a six on the very first ball off Josh Hull. India hurried to 50 in the 6th as both batters counter-attacked English bowlers: Abhimanyu Easwaran (17 (12) and Yashasvi Jaiswal 35 (24). Easwaran completed his fifty in the 15th over after pushing the ball towards deep backwards point for a single off Ajeet Dale. Jaiswal also completed his fifty in the following over, after hitting a four, towards third man off Eddie Jack. The duo brought up a 100-run partnership for the opening wicket in the same over. Rehan Ahmed removed Jaiswal in the 20th over, and Dhruv Jurel joined Easwaran in the middle. Ahmed cleaned up Easwaran in the 28th over, Nitish Reddy got a promotion in the batting order as he joined Jurel after the fall of the second wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal (64 off 60 balls), Abhimanyu Easwaran (68 off 87 balls), Dhruv Jurel (53 not out), and Nitish Kumar Reddy (52 not out off 47 balls) got some runs and confidence before the second game in Northampton, starting June 6. The match was called off after India A raced to 241 for 2 in 41 overs with 25 overs remaining on the final day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD England Lions ended their first innings before lunch on day 4 on a healthy 587/10, taking a 30-run lead over India A's first innings score of 557. During India A's first innings, Karun Nair had slammed a double ton (204).
