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KL Rahul showed the way on how to negotiate the Australian bowlers at The Gabba with a fine innings that saw him scored 84.
KL Rahul has been in fine form. (AP Photo)
India are currently fighting to save the Brisbane Test against Australia. The series has witnessed a significant turnaround ever since India started the tour with a massive 295-run win in Perth to take 1-0 lead in the five-match affair. A down and out Australia recovered and asserted domination at the Adelaide Oval to crush India by 10 wickets in a day-night Test and pull themselves on level terms. The momentum their batters picked up in Adelaide followed them to The Gabba in Brisbane with Travis Head blasting another big century while Steve Smith also returned to form with a sparkling hundred of his own.
While Australians must be happy with the way their batters are steadily returning to form, the mood in the Indian camp must be the opposite. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli played a key role in their record win in the series opener but ever since, both have endured multiple failures.
In fact, the Indian top-order comprising Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has failed to get going and hence, the visitor’s batting looks quite vulnerable.
However, KL Rahul has offered some hope with consistent performances which has seen him rack up 231 runs from five innings which is currently second-highest of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy after Australian Travis Head (392 runs from four innings).
In fact, Rahul gave a masterclass to his fellow Indian batters on how to make necessary adjustments against the Australian fast bowlers who were consistently trying to induce edges by bowling outside off in Brisbane.
Gill, Kohli, Rohit and Pant all edged to be out either caught by the wicketkeeper or in the slip cordon. Rahul, who opened alongside Jaiswal, though showed the way on how to negate the threat.
Unlike his teammates, Rahul played close to his body and avoided sending his bat on a wild chase thereby reducing the chances of getting an outside edge. He was looking to meet the ball under his eyes unlike Kohli and Rohit who stretched forward to offer shots in front of their pads.
