OPINION | KL Rahul Needs to Get His Act Together in a Hurry
Delhi: With the second lot of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 underway. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made the most of Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) largesse in allowing them a bat first on the benign MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch to register their first points in the tournament with the highest score so far this year. But even that score was not totally out of reach of the LSG batters, thanks once again to the immense hitting power of Kyle Mayers. Eventually, the 12-run loss could be attributed to two factors – one is this strange policy followed by all sides to field first and the second is the LSG top batters not quite matching Mayers in any department.
On top of that list would be skipper KL Rahul.
Rahul is not in a happy position as a batter for a period way longer than he would like to remember. Even the first two matches of the IPL have reflected the same uncertainty and hesitancy and that is hardly good news, for him or LSG.
Against CSK, Lucknow had a rollicking opening stand of a 79 off just 5.3 overs, but of these runs, Mayers scored 53 at a strike rate of 240.9, while Chennai were hospitable with their extras. After Mayers’ departure, Rahul would be expected to take over as the senior batter, but that just didn’t come up.
His dismissal for 20 at a mediocre strike rate of 111.1 was not good enough and Moeen Ali’s fine spell of 4/26 ensured that none among the LSG tope batters, including Rahul, stayed on long enough, ensuring a win.
Rahul has so far scored 28 runs in two IPL matches, at an underwhelming strike rate of 93.33, hardly good enough for any opener, let alone one leading the side.
Compare this with the other openers in the fray. Ruturaj Gaikwad was in his elements on Monday too, hammering another half-century and Devon Conway was an ideal foil.
Rahul should be rubbing shoulders with Gaikwad, Jos Buttler or Faf du Plessis, not meandering around on No. 24 on the batting list. He needs to find his mojo in rapid time for LSG to be the kind of side they were last year.
Even Rahul’s Team India experiences off late have been harrowing. Given a way more extended run than he merited, the Karnataka batter’s innings were not half as entertaining as the social media banter surrounding him between former India players Venkatesh Prasad and Aakash Chopra.
The IPL is a long tournament and players can come into form or fall out of it as it progresses. But the pitches, in pristine condition right now, will begin to wear out with use, so there can’t possibly be a better time for a batter, especially an opener, to score big, especially with the fielding restrictions on top of the inning.
Rahul comes among India’s top names, and it is time now that the he makes a genuine effort to justify that faith. Not just for himself and his franchise, but also those many fans who still swear by him.