While Rahul is a wicketkeeper-batter who comes in after the top four in ODIs, he is an opener in Test cricket (AP Photo)KL Rahul did the tricky task of first steadying India and then recalibrating his approach depending on the number of overs that had been curtailed due to frequent rain-induced breaks during their first ODI in Perth against Australia. Rahul was India’s highest scorer on the night with 38 runs in 31 balls and Australia fast bowling great Glenn McGrath voiced his appreciation for the Indian wicketkeeper-batter for the number of different roles he has adapted to over the years.
While Rahul is a wicketkeeper-batter who comes in after the top four in ODIs, he is an opener in Test cricket and plays in that role in T20s as well. He has also batted at numerous positions over the course of his career in all three formats. “They’ve sort of moved him around. I think he’s nearly batted at all 11 positions at some stage,” McGrath said on the Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel.
“It must be tough for him to adapt. But he’s one of those versatile players. He top-scored for India in fairly tough conditions. So, from opening down to I am not sure how low he has batted. Sometimes that can mess with your confidence, but I think for him, maybe he’s just used to it and adapts. He keeps as well, so he’s a very versatile player,” he added.
While his career being repeatedly hampered in recent years by injury, Rahul has enjoyed a steady run in recent months with the Indian team. He is having one the most productive years of his career in Test cricket, scoring 745 runs thus far in eight matches with three centuries and as many half-centuries at an average of 53.21. Rahul’s lower-order contributions were crucial in India’s run to the 2025 Champions Trophy title. Overall, he has scored 230 runs at an average of 46 in eight ODI innings thus far this year. He also scored two centuries in India’s thriller of a five-Test series in England which finished in a 2-2 draw.
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