Is this the second coming for KL Rahul in Test cricket?

Ahead of the England series, it was revealed that KL Rahul was now looking to get slotted in the Indian middle-order in Test cricket after two years of being out from the XI in the longest format. He auditioned for the role in a warm-up match against a County XI in Durham, where he scored 101 fluent runs and managed to pull India out from a little bit of trouble.

Interestingly enough, he would not have expected to find a place in the India XI for the first Test but managed to do so after Mayank Agarwal, his best friend, got hit on the head in the practice. With Prithvi Shaw yet to be with the team and management’s lack of faith in Abhimanyu Easwaran, Rahul got an opportunity. His reasoning after being out from the longest format was that he isn’t suited to playing against the new ball and can make runs in the middle order. And the team was asking to throw himself once again on the axe which had cut him previously.

Grabbing the opportunity wholeheartedly

Well played, KL Rahul – playing a Test after 2 long years, was slotted in middle order then with 2 openers getting injured and made his opener again – scored 84 runs from 214 balls including 8 fours. Top come back, KL. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/hWDJtJPmUw

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 6, 2021

But, now that Rahul got an opportunity, he backed himself to go there and make runs. He managed 84 runs from 214 balls. The innings was patient and classy and sublime and everything which conditions in England demand. He left the ball well, he respected the conditions well, his technical changes were effective and his shot selection was on point. He did get dropped twice, but the first occasion was also after scoring fifty. Additionally, it happened inside the little period when James Anderson looked unplayable at Trent Bridge.

India slipped from 97 for 0 to 112 for 4 at one point in that innings. It was of utmost importance for India that someone from the top six held one end and got the team beyond England’s total at least. Rahul managed to do that with calmness on the crease and briefly made us all believe that this is indeed ‘Rahul 2.0’. He was showing signs of being an improved batsman for some time but he justified that with a knock in Test cricket as well.

Rahul’s Test career has been a bit absurd until now. One would think that an average of 35.27 after 62 Test innings doesn’t justify his potential as a batsman. It’s true it doesn’t, but that number exists because his career has had tremendous highs and tremendous lows. There was even a period when he made nine scores between 50 and 100 in 11 innings. Then there was a period where he had only one score of more than fifty over 26 Test innings.

But, Rahul seems to have put all those demons to bed and is now looking a much more secure and temperamental player. It is still not sure if Mayank Agarwal will come back into the side for the second Test, given he was the first choice. But, for now, Rahul might have shown the team management that he can be trusted in the longest format.