Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel praised KL Rahul for performing consistently throughout the five-match Test series against England. Rahul amassed 532 runs in five matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar series at an impressive average of 53.2.
Earlier, Rahul drifted away after getting off to a good start in the series but this time he was able to carry his form. Rahul scored two centuries in the series and gave solid starts to the team along with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“There was a question mark on KL Rahul, that when he found form at the start of the tour, he was not carrying it for long. However, you saw the performance like that here, where he performed consistently till the fifth Test,” Parthiv Patel said on Star Sports show Follow the Blues.
The former gloveman also lauded Rahul for taking sharp catches in the slip cordon.
“Especially when you are a senior player, when your new team is playing, him standing there was extremely necessary. He has batted extremely well, and along with that, he has taken excellent catches in the slips,” Parthiv observed.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill was able to prove his mettle in English conditions, scoring 754 runs in five Test matches at an average of 75.4. Patel said there were doubts raised on Gill’s potential to score runs in SENA countries, but he was able to answer in critics in style.
“Four centuries, an average of 75.40, more than 750 runs, and runs in different conditions. When he came, there were questions about whether he would be able to play or not in SENA countries. So he scored 147. Then it was said that he threw his wicket after scoring 147,” he replied.
“Then he made 269. Then they said it would fall slightly short, so 161 in the second innings. Then, when he got out in the third Test match, people were asking questions, that his form had gone awry after scoring 430 runs. Then you saw a century again where you had to draw the game. So whenever it was required or questions were asked, he answered,” Parthiv elaborated.
The series ended in a 2-2 and many experts feel it was a fair result.
