KL Rahul will be relieved with the fact that he is going to play in the 1st Test against England. Mayank Agarwal’s concussion paved a way for his state teammate to play in the series opener. Rahul was waiting for an opportunity in the whites for the past year and now the time has arrived for him to prove his worth.
Earlier, KL Rahul was sidelined by the Test team due to his poor form and inconsistency with the bat. He was struggling to find his rhythm with the bat in the long format. But, the talented batsman has revived his career with brilliant performances in limited-over cricket. He has upgraded his game and is ready to take up any role and bat at any position for the team as per the situation.
In the past 12 months, KL Rahul has played the role of a wicketkeeper in the absence of Rishabh Pant, batted in the middle-order as well. He performed magnificently well in all positions. This is the reason why he got picked as a backup opener for England tour.
Sunil Gavaskar Picks Indian Opening Pair For 1st England Test
Now, he will open the innings alongside Indian Hitman Rohit Sharma in the 1st Test. And, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has lots of expectations from Indian openers. He feels KL Rahul smashed century in his last game in England and he will be confident enough to replicate the same in the upcoming affair.
As per him, Rahul scored a good hundred in a three-day game partnering with Rohit Sharma. And, it will give a major boost to his confidence in whites.
“With KL Rahul scoring a hundred in the three-day game that we played, he should be the one partnering Rohit Sharma,” Gavaskar told Hindustan Times during a select media interaction ahead of India vs England 1st Test in Nottingham starting on August 4.
Rahul would be high on confidence after scoring that hundred. He is someone I would look at for opening the batting and not Pujara to go up the order,”
The former Indian cricketer mentioned that openers always play an important role in every Test match. They lay the foundation over which the middle-order tries to reap out good results. He opined that Indian openers know how to perform against a good bowling line-up and they will come out with shining colors in the 1st Test against England.
“The openers play a very important role because they lay the foundation. I’m not talking about the Sehwags, I’m talking about the conventional openers. They pave the way, convert a broken road into a highway for the Ferraris and Lamborghinis to come and drive. Openers are the ones who do all the hard work benefits of which the No. 4, 5, 6 are able to reap,” Gavaskar said, highlighting the importance of the opening pair.
The series is all set to begin from 4th August and the 1st Test will be played at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
