ENG vs IND 2025: 'India is blessed with consistent KL Rahul' - Manjrekar praises opener's composed approach
"We also see a lot of young batters now getting right up there with the legends of the past — and doing it consistently. One reason is they’re performing well," said Manjrekar.
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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar praised Indian opener KL Rahul for his excellent approach to batting on the challenging England pitch. The fourth Test between England and India is currently underway at Old Trafford, Manchester. England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that historically has not led to victory for teams at this ground in Test matches.
Manjrekar remarked that Rahul has shown great shot selection, especially in England, where drives are not meant for boundaries. He praised Rahul’s consistency and noted that young Indian batters are now regularly excelling overseas, aided by frequent Test tours in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries.
“KL Rahul has the right kind of approach to playing shots. Now, they say in England, when the ball is pitched up, you play the drive to get two runs, not a boundary. And that's exactly what he did with the two cover drives he played. This is a guy who hasn’t put a foot wrong in the series and continues to perform. So India is blessed with a KL Rahul who’s finally found consistency in the way he’s batted,” said Manjrekar on JioHotstar.
“It’s not a quick outfield, so a lot of the shots he played went for two runs. But yes, this is exactly what we expect from KL Rahul. We also see a lot of young batters now getting right up there with the legends of the past — and doing it consistently. One reason is they’re performing well. The other is India now plays a lot of Test matches in places like England, Australia, and South Africa — almost every two years,” he added.
Stats: KL Rahul completes 1000 Test runs in England
Rahul calms the dressing room: Jonathan Trott
Former England batter Jonathan Trott stated the Indian opener has been a steady presence for India, bringing calm to the dressing room. He praised Rahul’s composure, and improved judgment in leaving deliveries. Trott believes Rahul is in fine form and advised against rushing after building solid partnerships.
“I think KL Rahul has been a real bedrock for India, and he certainly calms that dressing room down. The way that he goes about his business, his mannerisms, the way that he scores — the areas that he scores in — is well attuned to being an opening batter. He’s leaving the ball really well, and for me, that’s the number one thing he’s really worked out in his game. I think he’s in great form. If they can continue this partnership — and not go out there trying to cash in too early after doing the hard work — they’ll be in a great position,” said Trott.
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