Can Rahul Carry Keeping Burden?

Replacing the injured Wriddhiman Saha, he seamlessly embraced the keepers’ gloves, much in the same manner he adorned the responsibility of opening in Australia

COLOMBO:  The most spectacular KL Rahul moment at the Sara came on the morning of the fifth day, when he lunged sideways to clasp with his webbing the edge of Angelo Mathews. It was not just spectacular in the aesthetic sense, but also in the alertness he demonstrated on the very first ball of the morning, where sometimes even the movements of specialist wicketkeepers are hindered by a stiff shoulder or wobbly knees.

Replacing the injured Wriddhiman Saha, he seamlessly embraced the keepers’ gloves, much in the same manner he adorned the responsibility of opening in Australia. His keeping against the spinners on a fourth-fifth day sub-continental surface with dicey bounce was even more uplifting. He was unfussy and beautifully gauged the bounce of the ball. There were balls that kicked up from the rough outside the left-hander’s off-stump, but Rahul always kept his eyes above the ball and moved corresponding to the ball’s bounce and turn, waiting for the ball to come onto him than groping at it. 

So convincing was his performance, barring a missed stumping, that he hardly conceded the impression that he was substituting for someone else and keeping to world-class spinners for the first time in his career. Rahul, understandably, was thrilled about it. “I looked at it more as an opportunity to stay behind the stumps and see what their variations are. I had to keep someday to understand the wicket better in the fourth innings. Someday, I might have to bat on the fourth day and play a quality bowler and see what he is thinking,” he pointed out.

It also gave him a better perspective of the bowlers. “From behind the stumps I can get the better view and better understanding of what the bowler is trying to do and how he is trying to get a batsman out. So it was a good learning curve for me,” he said.

All the same, his enthusiasm shouldn’t be taken for granted as a licence to sacrifice the specialist keeper. An opening batsman who can keep moderately is a luxury, but as with all luxuries, he shouldn’t be overused, but used only when there is utmost need for it, like when the specialist gets injured during the match.

For, such a compromise would invariably affect his primary vocation, which Kumar Sangakkara duly corroborates. “From experience I can tell him that keeping and then opening is not going to be the easiest thing in Test cricket,” he said. His own career is a great example of a batsman lifting his performance after being relieved of multitasking. As the designated wicketkeeper, he averaged just 40.48 in 48 Tests. But once exempted from keeping duties, the aggregate leapt to 66.78 in 86 Tests. 

Another example is former England opener-wicketkeeper Alec Stewart. As keeper, he averaged merely 34.52, but solely as a batsman it shot up to 46.70.  These are cautionary tales  and prove that Rahul’s versatility shouldn’t be tapped to the point of exhaustion or stress. 

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com