India's KL Rahul bats during play on day four of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia. (AP)Cheteshwar Pujara lauded KL Rahul’s “approach and “art of leaving” in the ongoing third Test between Australia and India at the Gabba.
Rahul scored 84, his second half-century of the series and has mustered 231 runs in five innings so far.
“Whenever he’s defending or leaving the ball, he’s in a very good position,” said Pujara on Star Sports.
“He knows where his off stump is. And even while defending, he allows the ball to come and hit his bat. He’s not going for the ball.
“And if you look at the other dismissals, where most of the batters have gone towards the ball. And let’s look at his leave. He’s quite, he’s very well balanced.
“He’s covering his off stump. And he’s looking to play the ball. But once he knows that it’s outside the line, then he’s keeping his bat close to his body.
India’s KL Rahul celebrates his fifty runs on the second day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)
“And some balls did nip back in. And he kept his bat there and it edged and didn’t carry. Happened in the previous Tests as well.
“He’s allowing the ball to hit his bat. And he’s defending with the softer hands, which is a big, big positive there.”
Pujara also said that the 67-run stand between Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja has put India in a better position.
“The partnership between KL and Jadeja was the standout partnership of this innings and now things are looking a lot better,” he said.
“And KL has showed that if you apply yourself, if you bat well, it’s a good pitch where you can score runs. It’s not a very difficult pitch where you can’t survive or where you can’t bat.
“So, yeah, I mean, it’s just about seeing through that new ball and KL showed that today. And even an important contribution from Ravindra because he was picked as a batter and he showed that why he was picked.”
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