The series against England is a big one for KL Rahul, who is now the senior batter for India. We know he’s talented, but we haven’t seen that talent lately. At 33, Rahul has had some of his best performances against England, so it’s fitting that he gets this chance in an overseas series at this stage of his career.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Tests, it’s up to Rahul to show his mettle and hit those beautiful drives that have impressed so many, even when his numbers haven’t been great. This World Test Championship cycle is turning out to be a big moment for him, especially since he’s been under a lot of pressure lately for fading away as the series goes on.
Rahul has a decent record against England, 955 runs in 13 Tests at 39.79, three centuries and two fifties. His highest score is 199. But when it comes to playing in England, that average drops to 34.11. He’s made 614 runs in 18 innings over nine matches there, two centuries to his name.
His centuries in England have been special. For example, his 149 during the 2018 tour at The Oval was outstanding. India was in trouble at 121/5 chasing a tough target of 464, but his partnership with Rishabh Pant gave hope before they both got out, and England won the series 4-1 instead of 3-2. That was KL’s only score above fifty in that series, he didn’t make the most of his chances otherwise.
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After some tough runs in Tests against West Indies and Australia, people started wondering if he’d be a wasted talent. He averaged just 22.23 in 15 Tests from 2018-19. After not playing during the tours to New Zealand, Australia and the home series against England, KL made a comeback for the 2021-22 series. He showed what he could do with a stylish 84 in the first Test and then 129 in the second Test at Lord’s.
This performance reminded everyone why he’s so highly regarded, with a patient play that earned him ‘Player of the Match’ and a spot on the Lord’s Honours Board.And then it was back to square one, he scored 5, 0, 8, 17, 46 in the next few matches. It’s a familiar pattern for him—starting well and then fading away. Will KL finally deliver the series in England that we’ve been waiting for?
