Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra showered praise on KL Rahul after India won the second Test match against the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, by seven wickets on Tuesday. Rahul scored an unbeaten knock of 58 runs in the run chase of 121.
The flamboyant batter had also scored 100 runs in the first innings of the opening Test match against the Windies at Ahmedabad. Earlier, Rahul had impressed on the England tour, scoring 532 runs in five Test matches at an average of 53.20.
Rahul has been in tremendous form in the recent past but Chopra highlighted that the batter’s average of 36.56 doesn’t define him well, as he is a much better batter than what his numbers suggest.
“He needed to do this. I was checking his average – it’s 98.00. The discussion has never been about KL Rahul’s class or his technique. However, there has been one discussion for sure, which you cannot hide from. If you have so much ability and have had such a long career span now, an average of 35 is unbecoming of you,” Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports.
“It takes a lot of hard work to take 35 to 45 at this stage of his career. That was seen. He scored a century and was playing cautiously in the second innings of this Test match as well. He stood till the end and went unbeaten,” Chopra observed.
Meanwhile, Rahul scored 196 runs in two Test matches against the West Indies at an average of 98 and Chopra continued to praise the Indian opener.
“Everything has a value. You have to look at it personally, that when you are dropped or your batting order is changed, your pressure is your own. The team moves ahead and you are left behind,” he said.
“If you look at it from that perspective, an average of 98, a good Test series, he started here from where he left off in England, and two back-to-back very good Test series have gone in his name now. This is extremely important as the foundation needed to be laid for the next series, which will be the real test,” Chopra observed.
Rahul will be next seen in action in a three-match ODI series against Australia.
