30 March,2017 05:05 PM IST | | Satish Viswanathan
He can make you cry, in joy and in anguish. He can make batting on difficult tracks look ridiculously easy, but then make an innocuous ball into a wicket-taking one - that's KL Rahul
KL Rahul
Dharamsala: He can make you cry, in joy and in anguish. He can make batting on difficult tracks look ridiculously easy, but then make an innocuous ball into a wicket-taking one.
Welcome to the world of KL Rahul whose six half-centuries from the seven innings against Australia, on tracks that were testing most times and treacherous at others, has seen the man emerge from the boy. Yes, there were no 100s to complete the show - there was a fantastic 90 in the second Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, his home ground - but there's no downplaying the impact the nearly 25-year-old had on the series.
Take his average, 65.50, in a series while his captain Virat Kohli made 46 runs at 9.02, add the strike rate of 56.30 in what was a very tightly-contested series, and the contribution is clear.
He was up against some of the best fast bowlers in the business, Mitchell Starc included, but the Bangalore-born lad batted without any inhibitions.
Sound technique
Blessed with a sound technique and a strong temperament, he made every innings count, well at least at until he got past 50, which again in a series that mostly featured low totals, is something he can be very proud of.
His skipper Kohli certainly is proud of him. "The way he has played in this series, to get six 50-plus scores, for an opener to be that consistent is tremendous. He'll want to convert them into big runs but the impact he has had in this series, not giving early wickets to Australia, has been very, very pleasing," said Kohli.High praise indeed from someone who himself will go down as one of India's greatest batsmen. A little more work on his shot selection, more so after doing all the hard work against the new ball, and Rahul can soon become the complete package.
Character-building duel
He added: "These kind of series can build character and make individuals. You'll certainly remember him for a long time in years to come with the innings he will play. I think this is where he will make a start as an internationally recognised opener, probably one of the best openers India has had."
