'Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were not there' - Ashish Nehra praises KL Rahul for stepping up during England tour

Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra showered praise on KL Rahul for not letting the Indian team feel the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma during the recently-concluded series between England and India. Rahul ended the series as the second leading run-getter for India and the third overall, with 532 runs in 10 innings. Nehra highlighted the fact that Rahul not only contributed but did so while opening the batting for the team, making his efforts even more significant.

"He was an experienced batter. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were not there. There were a few young players. An England tour is not easy. No matter how much you discuss that the pitches in the first two Tests were the flattest, you still need to score runs on that, and this player showed that by doing it," shared Nehra during an interaction with Sony Sports.

"As an opener, when you are the most experienced player in the team, that must be in your mind. The experienced players like him and Jasprit Bumrah did their job fully. It felt good that he got a chance to play at the number he has been playing for a long time. He made the most of the opportunity he got at the right place," he added.

KL Rahul was exchanging words with the other batters: RP Singh

In the same discussion, former Indian cricketer RP Singh elaborated on the various adjustments Rahul employed during the series keeping the English conditions in mind.

"I feel KL Rahul had made a strong decision before the series about which shots he had to avoid. The bat was always close to his body. He only drove the fuller-length balls. He tried to take singles off the length balls. He also shared his experience with the captain," Singh observed.

He also shed light on how Rahul contributed from the non-striker's end by advising his teammates on how to bat.

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"While batting, at times, you have to tell your partner how much the ball is swinging or what he can correct during the match. He tried that with a few people, although he didn't do it with Rishabh Pant. However, he was exchanging words with the other batters," Singh observed.

India ended up retaining the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy after winning the final Test at The Oval by a slender six-run margin. Shubman Gill (754 runs in 10 innings) and Mohammed Siraj (23 wickets in nine innings) emerged as the leading run-getter and leading wicket-taker, respectively.