Owais Shah, a former cricket player for England, believes that before Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket, Indian opener KL Rahul didn't get much attention. Shah believes Kohli eclipsed KL Rahul.
In the ongoing Test series between England and India, KL Rahul is back opening the batting after Rohit Sharma retired from the format. In the three Tests, Rahul has 375 runs with 2 centuries and one fifty at an average of 62.50.
He became the first Asian opener to score more than one century at Lord’s and the second Indian with multiple centuries at the iconic venue.
Owais Shah, on a podcast, feels that now that KL Rahul is out of the shadow of Virat Kohli, he expects him to score big runs and might even outscore the new India captain, Shubman Gill, in the series. Notably, Gill has over 600 runs with three centuries in this series, with a best score of 269.
“I think he’s been in the shadow of Kohli. With Kohli at the crease, he was always going to be your main batsman, and Rahul was under the radar. But this is his time to flourish. This is the first series without Virat Kohli. Look at the batting order, yes, Shubman Gill has done really well, I wasn’t expecting it. I did not think he had it in him to do what he’s done so far," Shah said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.
“But I still feel KL Rahul is the best batsman in the batting line-up, who you should be able to rely on. And it is time for him to deliver the sort of numbers his technique and temperament promise. I feel KL, over 10-15 matches, may just outscore Shubman Gill. I think we will see him really come about in the next 12 months,” he added.
Shah continued by saying that either Jadeja or Rishabh Pant could have prevented England from winning the third Test at Lord's, but they lacked the backing of other batsmen.
“Jadeja scored a couple of fifties in this game and four back-to-back in the series. The way I saw the game last night, the only two players who could have spoiled the English party were Rishabh Pant or Ravindra Jadeja. Both have the ability to get in, score quick runs, and challenge the fielders. Six-hitting is not an issue for them. If one of them succeeds, the rest should bat around them, making India favorites. Jadeja got some runs and didn’t seem like getting out, but the others couldn’t quite support them," he said.
The 4th Test between the two sides will be played in Manchester from July 23 onwards.
