Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra heaped praise on KL Rahul for silencing his naysayers with a brilliant century in the second innings of the opening Test against England at Leeds, Headingley on Monday.
Rahul’s place in the team has been questioned on many occasions and once again the flamboyant batter gave a fitting reply to his critics. The Indian opener scored a majestic knock of 137 runs off 247 balls with the help of 18 boundaries.
The Karnataka batter drove with panache and played at the top of his game to put India in front. The right-hander added a crucial alliance of 195 runs with vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who scored a fine knock of 118 runs.
“There were a lot of discussions about this player as well, that why has he been kept when everyone has left, as he doesn’t score that many runs. It’s not too far back in history when people were waiting for him to go,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra said Rahul is always under the scrutiny for his performances, which is a tad unfair.
“There is no doubt that he is the most trolled guy, that he plays so slow, never scores runs that benefit the team, plays for himself, flatters to deceive in Test cricket, and many others are better than him, without actually thinking whether the guy gets his due,” he observed.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the team backed Rahul as he always had the potential to succeed.
“Good things happen to good people. When you have good feelings in your heart, the team sees it. The team sees what the guy is doing for them and whether he is fulfilling the role given to him. The world kept trolling, but the team never thought that something needed to be done with this player,” he said.
“In fact, they thought that they had been a little unfair to him, as KL Rahul’s life story has been that no one thought what was right for him. Everyone thought what was right for the others, and then he was given the leftovers, as he would manage. The Indian team has supported him constantly,” Chopra observed.
Rahul is one of the most experienced Indian batters on the England tour and he would look to carry the good show.
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