A father to a newborn, his baby giggling in his arms, KL Rahul had every reason to quit cricket for sometime and relish these days with his baby. But KL Rahul has a different approach to this.
After his return to the Delhi Capitals side, KL Rahul mentioned his reason for returning to the side, as he prioritizes cricket over any family pleasure.
Hemang Badani reveals intital chat
“Country first, Hemang Bhai. I care for this team,” KL Rahul said to Delhi Capitals coach Hemang Badani. It seemed one target was fixed in the head of the opening batter, the England test series.
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Nothing seems to have mattered more to KL Rahul than donning the whites and making it out strongly in England. He made that his goal, and the results are in front of us all, as Rahul returns with a stunning hundred in the second innings of the first test.
It is worth noting that off-late senior Indian cricketers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have openly voiced their desire to spend more time with family even when the Indian team is on a tour.
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have had family members touring with them apart from other Indian cricketers since Ravi Shastri took over as the Indian Head Coach. However, with Gautam Gambhir‘s arrival, BCCI has implemented strict travel policies for India’s support staff, players, and their family members.
Virat Kohli went on record to state his displeasure regarding these new laws which would restrict family members from staying with the players for the entire duration of the tours.
KL Rahul has a key role in the Indian Test lineup
Ever since the retirement announced by ex-India Test skipper Rohit Sharma, India have already been guessing for a batsman to step in as the new opener in the red-ball side. KL Rahul grabbed this as a major opportunity, and he has emerged as the top-choice man in the key role.
Also, with veteran Virat Kohli going down after a decade-long career in tests, KL Rahul becomes one of the most experienced as well as most dependable batters in the current setup. He has stepped on the English soil in India’s previous tours and has seen it all.
Keeping aside the big hundred he got in the second innings at Leeds, Rahul showed full intent as he landed early in England to play practice matches ahead. Scoring may count in the game, but intent is what matters the most, and Rahul is the epitome of pure intent in India’s test side.
Jasprit Bumrah to miss the Second Test at Edgbaston: Reports
According to the latest reports suggested by the Indian Express, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to miss the Edgbaston test. However, no solid reason has been given; hence, this could possibly be a strategic plan made by the management to manage Bumrah’s workload before the Lord’s Test.
In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj might be seen heading the Indian bowling attack; however, India will have to consider options in Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep to be brought into the test side. This might be a blow to the Indian lineup, already having lost the first test.
Rahul and Jaiswal to open; Karun Nair best at no. 3
India has four batters in their top order who delivered hundreds in the first test. This will be followed by a second test, where former Indian wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta has hinted towards a possible swap.
The former cricketer showed faith in Karun Nair and suggested promoting him to no. 3, a position he usually scores most of his runs in red-ball cricket. This also indirectly suggests either a drop-down or an exit for youngster Sai Sudharsan, who failed to have a show during the opening test.
However, Rahul remains at the top alongside Jaiswal, while skipper Shubman Gill seems to find a touch of class to fill in the big shoes of Virat Kohli as India’s new No. 4 in tests.
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