His name may not have come up for selection had Rohit Sharma not been injured. Till recently, he was not considered limited-overs material. In the run-up to the series against England, the topic of his inclusion in the team was forgotten amid the talk over MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. And there is no certainty he will open the innings as long as Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane are in the squad.
Yet, it's difficult to ignore K L Rahul. His tendency to get injured has been held against him as also his early dismissals in Test cricket. But what has gone unnoticed is that he has made centuries in all three formats either on debut or within two or three games. Not many have done that in international cricket. It proves that other than skills, this 25- year-old has the ability to adapt. While he is an opener with respect for conventional virtues, K L Rahul has cracked the slam-bang code while playing in the middle order in IPL, which also shows that he can tailor his game to the situation.
This successful transformation has more to do with mental adjustments rather than technical. A player in the old school mould, Rahul has added to his repertoire the reverse sweep and the slash over slips to meet the demands of the day. But the basics continue to be his strength, as is evident from the high percentage of runs he makes inside the 'V'. Positioning, balance, transfer of weight make him a good timer of the ball who doesn't have to be extravagant to hit good balls for runs. Not many possess this trait. Of the few who do, only a handful have put it to such telling use in so short a time.
“Our batting coach (Sanjay Bangar) has worked with me on matters like getting back deeper inside the crease, which gives me more time to play the ball and helps me read the length. There have been adjustments like that, but mostly it's been mental. Being in and out of the side because of injuries isn't easy and to have done well after that is satisfying,” Rahul told the BCCI website after his 199 against England at Chepauk in December.
It can be argued that Rahul's limited-overs runs have come against not-so-good attacks like Zimbabwe and West Indies.
What shouldn't be overlooked is that his T20 century — 110 off 51 balls against the West Indies — took India to within one run of the target of 245. If the opener, who scores away Test centuries in his first or second appearance in those countries, bats at no. 4 in T20s, he deserves attention other than accolades.
This also means scrutiny and the first round of it reveals Rahul is vulnerable early on, especially in Test cricket, where 10 of his 19 innings have ended before he reached 20. Apart from good deliveries, holes in his defence and a sudden urge to strike out have contributed to his dismisssals. So there are areas Rahul has to work on, including fitness. On the other hand, a Test average of 41.84 without ever remaining not out shows that he has capitalised after negotiating the initial period.
Whether or not Virat Kohli fields him in the XI in limited-overs games against England time will tell, but Rahul has what it takes to deliver in the shorter formats. His game is suited for brisk scoring when fielding restrictions are on and he has shown in IPL that he also has the overdrive gear which limited-overs batsmen are expected to shift to in the later stages of a game. Given a chance and if he stays clear of injuries, Rahul can enhance his reputation.
KL Rahul’s figures
Tests: M 12, R 795, Avg 41.84, 100x4, 50x1 (century in 2nd Test)
ODIs: M 3, R 196, Avg 196.00, 100x1, 50x1 (century on debut)
T20Is: M 5, R 179, Avg 89.50, 100x1 (century in 4th match)