"Yashasvi is standing exactly where I was 10 years back": KL Rahul

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal (Pic: File Pic)

KL Rahul feels that rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the same place where Rahul was 10 years ago.

In the 2014-15 series, the then 22-year-old Rahul, batting at No. 6, had scores of 3 and 1 on debut at the MCG but came back strongly as an opener in the very next game with an eye-catching 110 in Sydney.

He also faced nerves but during the second innings in Sydney where he scored 16, he batted for an hour with Murali Vijay which eased him a lot.

KL Rahul is trying to play a similar role with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the ongoing Australia tour. KL Rahul and Jaiswal registered an Indian record-opening partnership of 201 runs in the second essay of the first match.

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The left-hander scored a remarkable century and Rahul on the other hand played a knock of 77 runs.

"I saw a bit of myself in him how I was 10 years ago, opening the batting for the first time, lots of doubts, lot of nerves and you keep doubting your own game and a lot that happens in your head, and so all you can do is try and slow things down, try and take a few deep breaths," KL Rahul replied when asked about his conversations with Indian cricket's next 'pin-up' boy.

"That's what was passed on to me by my fellow opening partner (M Vijay), I just passed that on to him," Rahul remembered his Test hundred in Sydney, which was his second game of his career."

KL Rahul also agrees that self-doubt can creep in time, but he is trying to pass his experience to Jaiswal.

"I am not saying I don't have all these thoughts, I do. But having been there, I know what I need to do to get past those doubts and thoughts you have in your head. And so whatever I told Jaiswal was what I have myself practiced," he said.

KL Rahul felt that once he had played around 40 balls, Jaiswal seemed more and more confident about his game. "Once he got past those first 30-40 balls, he started feeling more confident, he was seeing the ball really well and batted beautifully," he said.

(With PTI Inputs)