Not Shubman Gill, India Star Backed To Come Out Of Virat Kohli's Shadow: "Time To..."
KL Rahul has scored 375 runs in three Tests so far against England, smashing two centuries in the process.
- KL Rahul has scored 375 runs in three Tests against England, including two centuries
- Owais Shah believes Rahul will emerge as India's leading batter after Virat Kohli's retirement
- "It is time for him to deliver the sort of numbers his technique promises," said the ex-England star
Former England cricketer Owais Shah feels KL Rahul will emerge as India's batter ahead of Shubman Gill following the Test retirement of Virat Kohli. Rahul has scored 375 runs in three Tests so far against England, smashing two centuries in the process. Speaking on 'Beard Before Wicket' podcast, Shah suggested that Rahul will now come out of Kohli's shadow and shine in the current Indian Test setup. Shah also backed Rahul to outperform India captain Gill and become India's most important batter for the next 12 months or so.
"I think he's been in the shadow of Kohli. With Kohli at the crease, he was always going to be your main batsman and Rahul was under the radar. But this is his time to flourish. This is the first series without Virat Kohli. Look at the batting order, yes Shubman Gill has done really well, I wasn't expecting it. I did not think he had it in him to do what he's done so far," said Shah.
The Pakistan-born former batter also praised Rahul for showing great temperament and technique in the ongoing England tour so far
"But I still feel KL Rahul is the best batsman in the batting line-up who you should be able to rely on. And it is time for him to deliver the sort of numbers his technique and temperament promise. I feel KL, over 10-15 matches, may just outscore Shubman Gill. I think we will see him really come about in the next 12 months," he added.
Following Rahul's exploits in the first innings of the Lord's Test, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said that his form has been the biggest takeaway from the tour.
"The biggest satisfaction I've had - as an analyst and a former cricketer - has come from watching KL Rahul. He has always had the game. Yes, there were grey areas in his technique, but he worked on those and resolved them. What was missing was consistency. On one of our shows, we even jokingly gave him the title of 'Mr. Consistent KL Rahul' - but it's taken him a long time to truly earn that tag.
"He has now played over 50 Test matches for India, and what I'm seeing now is close to perfection - there are no visible weaknesses. For the first time in an overseas series, he has scored more than 200 runs. That, for me, is a massive takeaway for India," Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Virat Kohli
KL Rahul