Ok.L. Rahul threw his head again, in quasi-disappointment. He had pretty smashed the ball, however he didn’t get both the distance or the elevation he was on the lookout for. As the ball went to deep mid-wicket on the bounce, he grimaced and ran a single. How he would have liked to have made sweeter contact for the ball to sail over the fence!
In the two earlier profitable chases that he had seen via to their logical finish, Rahul had, to borrow a well-known line from Ravi Shastri, ‘finished things off in style.’ Against Bangladesh in India’s Champions Trophy opener, he drop-kicked Tanzim Hasan over long-leg. Against Australia in the semifinal, he charged and clattered Glenn Maxwell over long-on. Both sixes, each finishing victories he had performed an enormous function in shaping. A hat-trick of successful sixes, the final of them to win the title, would have been in the health of issues.
It wasn’t to be, however hey, who cares, proper? Rahul was there when the tape was breasted, when the New Zealand tally was overhauled, when the Champions Trophy was clinched. So what if Ravindra Jadeja, one other of the unsung heroes, smacked the successful 4? So what, actually?
If there was a contest for yo-yoing inside the Indian ranks, Rahul would triumph by a rustic mile. He could not wish to, however he’ll, as a result of he has yo-yoed a lot inside the taking part in XI that it has change into second nature.
Man for all seasons
Want a middle-order wicketkeeper-batter in 50-over cricket? Ok.L. Rahul. Need somebody to reprise the same function in two away Tests in South Africa, in Rishabh Pant’s absence? KL Rahul. Need a Test No. 4 as a result of Virat Kohli is away on paternity go away? Ok.L. Rahul. A Test opener as a result of Rohit Sharma is lacking? Ok.L. Rahul. Someone to drop all the way down to No. 6 in ODIs as a result of Axar Patel’s left-handedness is deemed extra essential? Ok.L. Rahul. At a stretch, the solely factor Rahul hasn’t achieved in worldwide cricket is preserve wicket to his personal bowling. Impossible as that’s, don’t put it previous Rahul being requested to take action. And really ending up doing it.
Rahul has been most well-liked over Pant in the Indian ODI eleven.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: BHAGYA PRAKASH
Now in his twelfth 12 months in worldwide cricket, Rahul has been there and achieved that. He turned the quickest Indian to attain a century in all three codecs internationally, inside 18 months of his maiden look for India in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne in December 2014. He has led India in all three codecs in a stand-in capability, he has fulfilled each duty thrust on his shoulders, he has shouldered each burden conceivable. He is a veteran of 58 Tests, 85 ODIs and 72 T20Is. And whereas he may not — or he may, who is aware of? — entertain that notion, you possibly can’t assist really feel that few are deemed extra dispensable than the 32-year-old from Bengaluru.
Rahul in full flight is simply the most attractive sight on the cricket area. He has a lot time on his arms, the one high quality that separates the greats from even the very, very items, however he hasn’t a lot as flirted with greatness. Maybe not even considered it. Look at him easing right into a Test innings, tight in defence and engaging and unfussed in stroke-play and you can be aghast whenever you pore over his numbers. An common of 33.57? Just eight a whole lot in 58 video games? Really, Rahul?
Really, sure. Perhaps as a result of he hasn’t had a settled place, maybe he has been yo-yoed — that time period once more — round, yanked from one slot and thrust into the subsequent, then uprooted from there and despatched elsewhere. He has had backing, of that there’s little doubt. But what use backing when there’s a lack of consistency in the methodology. One of the nice teaching philosophies revolves not simply on alternative, however the high quality of the alternative. That’s one thing that has handed Rahul by.
But to his nice credit score, like his illustrious namesake from the similar metropolis, Rahul has by no means complained. Never moaned or cribbed. Never carped about being moved out of his consolation zone — does he even know what it’s anymore? — or being requested to do that, that and the different. He has taken on each job manfully, with no raised eyebrow, with no frown, not to mention a scowl. Maybe he has allowed himself to be taken as a right. That can occur, you recognize, when you could have forgotten the right way to complain, the right way to play the system.
The notion about Rahul is much faraway from actuality. When he began the three-match ODI collection at house towards England final month, India’s final tango earlier than the Champions Trophy, as the most well-liked wicketkeeper-batter, everybody who had an opinion – which, in India, is everybody who is aware of the spelling of cricket and several other others who don’t know even that – was questioning why. Why Rahul? Why not Pant, the man with the X-Factor? The pressure of nature, irrepressible and untamed? What was Rahul doing in the XI with Pant on the sidelines?
Rahul poses with the ICC Champions Trophy.
| Photo Credit:
AP
The reply would’ve stared us in the face if we had gone wanting, made even a token try to take action. At No. 5 in ODIs, Rahul averaged in the mid-50s, scored in the mid-90s for 100 balls confronted. Pant’s ODI numbers in 31 matches are 33.50 common, admittedly a superior strike-rate of 106.21. For all his pyrotechnics in Test cricket, Pant hasn’t fairly received a grip of white-ball ball-flaying.
But this isn’t a ‘who-is-stronger’ debate. Or even dialogue. For now, for the foreseeable future, Rahul must be the most well-liked ODI stumper batting at No. 5 or No. 6, which appears to be the place the present administration group has zeroed in on for him. If Pant must be accommodated, it have to be at the expense of another person although who that another person is will set off a contemporary headache.
Rahul’s ‘demotion’ – if that’s the proper phrase – to No. 6 stemmed from the want to have a left-hander, on this case Axar Patel, at No. 5. India selected to repair one thing that wasn’t damaged although they’d achieved it with good purpose, after plenty of thought and with sound logic. Rahul was included in the dialogue as a result of he wanted to be. He needed to develop snug with the concept of dealing with fewer balls in an innings, which might then imply he must change his mindset, his preparation, his strategy to follow.
Always keen and ready, Rahul took on the new problem head-on. He didn’t do the similar factor anticipating completely different outcomes however practiced with smarts, replicating recreation conditions to the extent that they are often in follow. He realised that there could be occasions when he would stroll out with solely 5 – 6 overs left, which then meant he may take little time to mattress himself in. Therefore at nets, he began to whack balls out of the park from the get-go. Not simply any balls, however ageing, softer orbs of the sort he would encounter at that stage of the innings. He finessed range-hitting right into a high-quality artwork, raining down thunderous blows at the ICC Academy floor the place India practiced advert nauseum between matches and durations of relaxation and restoration.
Rohit alluded to Rahul’s calm head and the impact his presence has on the dugout. Rahul has been many issues in the previous – nervy and withdrawn and shell-locked at the high of the order in even T20s major amongst them – however there’s a sure composure to him now that’s unattainable to overlook. He appears at peace, greater than even earlier than. His phrases are nonetheless measured however not steeped in warning or wariness. He is extra trusting, slightly extra outgoing, rather less economical along with his smiles. He is 32 and approaching that age the place, if he isn’t already there, batters hit their peak.
He already has 11 years of top-flight cricket beneath his belt and doubtlessly one other half-dozen forward of him if he can preserve the fireplace burning. Very quickly, he’ll change into the senior most Test batter and subsequently will probably be anticipated to steer the manner in so many alternative methods. He has satisfied himself, as he ought to, that being requested to don completely different roles is a praise to his versatility and his flexibility. It’s a present of confidence in his expertise, in fact, but in addition in the ease with which he can adapt to new and unfamiliar conditions. Instead of permitting his varied ever-changing avatars to undermine his confidence, he has used it as the stepping stone to higher issues.
At the Champions Trophy, Rahul was distinctive. During every of the three chases of which he was an element, there was loads of work forward of him when he strode out at 4 wickets down. Eighty-five wanted towards Bangladesh in 119 balls — loads of time however India had simply misplaced three for 32. Eighty-seven required towards Australia in 90, in a knockout semifinal. And sixty-nine to get in 68 in the last, with the ball beginning to play methods.
Rahul performed one get-out-of-jail quick early in every of these chases, then knocked the ball round, pushed the singles, elicited the errors. He stored his wits about him, didn’t overreach. In these three chases, he ended with 41 (47b), 42 (34b) and 34 (33b) respectively. He had stored greater than competently and was Rohit’s last go-to man when it got here to DRS challenges, however it was as the nice finisher at No. 6 that he was value his weight in gold. Having batted at nets like he would in a match, he effortlessly made the swap beneath immense strain, with a lot on the line.
There was no glory medal or award — heck, not even a glory shot to win the title — however Rahul will inform you that he’ll take guts and victories forward of glory. Every single day.
Published – March 11, 2025 12:32 am IST
