New Delhi [India], June 16 : The upcoming series against England is a crucial one for India's now senior-most batter, KL Rahul. While the talent and technical prowess are proven, the flashes of it have been way too few for the player of his calibre. The 33-year-old has generated some of his best body of work against England, so it is only right that a career-defining overseas series comes in this country.
In the absence of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, now retired from Tests, the onus is on Rahul to display the steely resolve, an unbreakable defence and those scrumptious, flashy drives that have always made experts rate him so highly, irrespective of his shaky numbers. In short, this WTC cycle is a now-or-never one for the veteran, who has come under immense scrutiny for losing steam as a Test series progresses.
Rahul has a solid record against England, having made 955 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 39.79, with three centuries and two fifties. His best score is 199.
In England, however, this average shrinks down to 34.11, having made 614 runs in 18 innings spread across nine matches. Two of his centuries have come in England, and he also has a fifty.
Both of his centuries in England have been all-timer efforts, with his 149 in 224 balls (20 fours and a six), coming in the fifth and final Test of the 2018 tour at The Oval. India had sunk to 121/5, crushed under the weight of an impossible-looking 464 run target. His 204-run stand with fellow centurion Rishabh Pant gave India courage to dream before Adil Rashid removed both of them to make sure England wrapped up the series 4-1, instead of a much more competitive-looking scoreline of 3-2. This was KL's only fifty-plus score of the series as he failed to make the most of his starts, scoring 152 runs in his other nine innings.
His next came after a string of failures during the Test tours to the West Indies and Australia. The chatter around him being a wasted talent was at an all-time high, having averaged 22.23 in 15 Tests with 578 runs, a century and fifty to show in 27 innings from 2018-19.
Having not been featured during tours to New Zealand, Australia and the home series against England, KL was recalled to the side for the 2021-22 series. After a classy 84 in the first Test, which India could have won if it was not for rain, he showed the world exactly why he was held in high regard, scoring 129 in 250 balls with 12 fours and a six. Displaying a monk-like patience, his knock set the tone for India, who took a series lead with a 151-run win at Lord's. His defence was reminiscent of his idol Rahul Dravid, while his drives left even the English fans in awe. He was given the 'Player of the Match' honour for his effort, which also put his name on the coveted Lord's Honours Board.
However, his form tapered off later, scoring just 5, 0, 8, 17 and 46 in the remainder of the series. Once again, he repeated the same old story overseas, starting off hot but following it with massively frustrating poor returns later.
Will KL finally deliver an all-timer series in England that fans have been waiting for?