Robin Uthappa, a former Indian cricketer, claimed that, like Sanju Samson, KL Rahul has been unfairly treated and criticized several times in his career. He commended the experienced player on how he has managed to pull everything off with style.

Although Rahul had great potential, he has been held back by inconsistency and a conservative batting approach. The right-handed player averages below 37 in Tests even when he has scored some of the best centuries ever made by an Indian player playing away from home.

"It's challenging being in KL's shoes. He also got tossed around a lot. He's a milder version of Sanju Samson in being tossed around. He copped a lot as a cricketer and a human being, but he dealt with it with a lot of class. He's right now the most technically sound batter in ODIs and Tests. He always took ownership of everything, and even when he made mistakes, he used to own it. He's a fascinating personality but a very endearing human being,” Uthappa said in a discussion on YouTube.  

Rahul is one of the most prolific scorers in international cricket, being one of only 15 Indians with over 10,000 runs across formats. He is also the fifth-leading run-scorer in IPL history with 5,815 runs at a strike rate of 139.14.

Robin Uthappa has congratulated KL Rahul on his incredible evolution as a wicketkeeper and also for his versatility. Even though he is a makeshift wicketkeeper, the 34-year-old has played as a wicketkeeper in 43 of his 101 ODIs for India. He has even done the keeping job in 96 of his 159 IPL matches.

"He's not a natural wicketkeeper. But the versatility that he brings to the fore in developing a skill that is required for him to exist and thrive in the ecosystem is phenomenal. He has put in a lot of work. Today, he doesn't look like an unnatural or manufactured wicketkeeper. That's how hard he has worked on it," said Uthappa.

Uthappa backed Rahul to finish with an extraordinary legacy in Indian cricket.

"He still has tremendous potential and will continue to be a stalwart for Indian cricket. Over the next years, I feel he'll transition to a point where he is as respected as an Ajinkya Rahane and the love that he received when he finished and even be as endeared as a Rohit,” he concluded.

Rahul remains an integral member of the Indian Test and ODI sides, while he last played T20Is in the 2022 T20 World Cup.