KL Rahul can score a hundred even as a 12th man: Shikhar Dhawan

There is something about Team India and their Rahuls. Every time the team-management asks them to do something- which does not come naturally to them- they proceed to push the envelope to the tilt. We saw Rahul Dravid doing that in the early 2000s when he performed a plethora of different roles that the team demanded of him: Wicketkeeping? Check. Opening the batting in Test cricket? Check.

And, that is what we are seeing with KL Rahul these days. From opening the innings to keeping wickets to batting in the middle-order at No.4 and No.5 to leading the side in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the fifth T20I, Rahul has done everything what the team has asked of him.

That he is at the height of his powers as far as his batting is concerned has also helped in the Karnataka batsman amalgamating himself in every role. Rahul was once again among the runs in the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand where he made the No.5 spot his own by racking up a whirlwind half-century [88 off 64 balls] before following it up with a mastery ton in the third game.

Such is the kind of form that Rahul is in that Shikhar Dhawan feels that the stylish opener can make a hundred even as a 12th man.

“Well played and wonderful century bro keep going strong. The way you are batting, even if you go as 12th man you will score a ton,” Dhawan said in one of his Instagram stories.

Here’s Shikhar Dhawan’s Instagram story

KL Rahul has been in brilliant form ever since he was dropped from the Test set-up

He went back to domestic cricket where he regained his touch by scoring truckloads of runs in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and since then, the right-hander hasn’t looked back.

With Shikhar Dhawan injured, Rahul was given a chance to open the innings during the home season which he grabbed with both hands, forcing the team-management to find a way to slot him in the playing XI. The pivotal moment came when Rishabh Pant was concussed during the first ODI against Australia, paving way for him to don the keeping gloves, something that he hasn’t left since then.