In a whirlwind journey back from injury, KL Rahul faced a barrage of criticism and trolls upon his return to the Asia Cup 2023. Many questioned his place in the playing XI, particularly considering the exceptional performances of Ishan Kishan in his absence. However, the Bangalore-born cricketer has silenced the doubters with an exceptional display of skill and resilience.
Rahul emerged as India’s third-highest run-scorer in the Asia Cup, trailing only Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. His stellar form continued in the ongoing ODI World Cup, where he has already notched up an impressive tally of 347 runs across nine matches. Follow your favourite cricket team with attractive betting odds from Nextbet.
Praising Rahul’s performance in the number five position, the legendary cricketer Wasim Akram expressed his admiration, highlighting that while bowlers might have a chance against Glenn Maxwell, the same does not hold true for KL Rahul. Akram lauded Rahul’s technical prowess and versatility across all three formats of the game. In a historic feat, Rahul blazed through the last league game against the Netherlands, achieving the fastest century by an Indian in ODI World Cup history, reaching the milestone in just 62 deliveries.
“Against Maxwell, as a bowler, you know that you will get a chance but with Rahul, it is not the case. He is a proper technical batter. He has opened in Test cricket, ODIs, and T20Is. Now he has been given a different role, and he is excelling in it,” Akram remarked, as quoted by Indian Express.
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik also weighed in, drawing parallels between KL Rahul and Heinrich Klaasen, asserting that India possesses the superior batsman at the number five position. Malik emphasized Rahul’s ability not just to control the game at number five but also to finish matches and adapt to different match situations with an impressive strike rate. Get free cricket betting tips from Nextbet Sports.
“The best at No 5 in world cricket. Klaasen needs a base to get going. But if you compare, India has the best batter at 5, who can play in any sort of situation. If India loses two or three wickets early, he is someone who can play according to the situation. He can finish the match, can improvise, can play with a good strike rate, and we have seen it today. He is good against spinners as well as pacers. He picks the gaps and plays the field. Against Australia, we have seen, he was the one who finished the match,” Malik remarked.
