VVS Laxman laments KL Rahul's T20 success for his Test failures

VVS Laxman, India’s former dependable No.6 in the whites, was disappointed with KL Rahul’s dismissal in the second innings of the first match between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval. The 44-year old said the problems for the Karnataka batsman are more to do with his game-plan than his technique.

KL Rahul earned lot of criticisms and rightly so as he got out for just 2 runs in the first innings. It was the manner in which he got out that made people lash out at him as he edged one off Josh Hazlewood by playing a dangerous cover-drive when the new ball was moving in the air and off the pitch. A lot was expected from him in the second innings but he, once again, gave it away by going hard against a delivery pitched outside off.

Rahul – technically correct but temperamentally sloppy

VVS Laxman, having followed KL Rahul for so long, felt that the 26-year old didn’t have any issue as far as his technique is concerned and his poor form in recent times should be explained by his game-plan and technique.

While speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he said, “There is nothing wrong about his technique, but with his game plan and his mindset. I have followed Rahul right from the time he started making those big runs for Karnataka and South Zone and he was someone who was technically correct, had a conservative approach or an approach of building an innings.

The “Very Very Special’ Batsman also highlighted that the reason for Rahul to throw his wicket away cheaply is the influence of T20 cricket. He added that the shot that lofted shot over extra cover which he tried to perish in the second innings, is a regularity in T20 cricket but hardly so in the longest format.

“I think somehow over the last two years since he (Rahul) achieved success in T20 cricket with RCB and Kings XI Punjab, this aggressive nature has crept into his game. At the international level, when you have all the shots, but then why does he have to play the extravagant lofted shot which is more of a T20 shot. I think someway he does not know how to build an innings,” said Laxman.

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~Written by Harikrishnan Sivakumar