England vs India 2018: Jairaj Muthu Backs His Ward KL Rahul
Published - 13 Sep 2018, 06:22 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:09 AM
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Initially, ahead of the England vs India 2018 series, it was expected that KL Rahul will leave a massive impact. He was in the ominous form in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and then followed it up by smashing a brutal century in the Twenty20 International game as well. However, he failed to perform in Test matches other than The Oval Test which surprised his coach, Jairaj Muthu.
Rahul faced the repeated failures in the Test circuit against England. He was given a chance in each match by Virat Kohli. But unfortunately, he couldn’t quite capitalise on his opportunities.
However, Rahul saved himself with a solid knock at The Kennington Oval in London to prove himself that he belongs to that level of cricket.
Perhaps, the concentration was a problem for KL Rahul – Jairaj Muthu
Jairaj felt that Rahul was timing the ball pretty decently. He looked decisive in his approach as well, but somewhere Jairaj felt that Rahul missed his concentration while tackling the bowling.
He went on to add that Rahul might also be unlucky as well. Jairaj is very surprised that Karnataka star didn’t score as many runs that were expected from him.
However, he is sure that Rahul will deliver for India in Australia, later this year.
”Perhaps his concentration was a problem. Perhaps, he wasn’t lucky enough to be as consistent as I would have imagined. But I am sure that Rahul will come out strong after this series. Rahul was timing the ball well. He likes playing against quality swing and loves when the ball comes up to the bat. His confidence was good and so was his body language,” the coach said to ToI.
“He was also getting his starts and had worked hard on his game. I am very surprised that he didn’t score many more runs for his team. It wasn’t an easy tour. Most of the batsmen didn’t click. I will have a word with him once he comes back after the Asia Cup,” Muthu asserted.
KL Rahul will be a key figure for India in Asia Cup 2018:
Meanwhile, Rahul returns to the limited-overs format of the game. In the absence of Kohli, Rahul will be the key player for India. He will be asked to take that important number three spot to come good for India.
Perhaps, following England vs India 2018 series, KL Rahul got his century at the right moment to turn the tables. If everything goes right for the youngster, one might see him ruling the Aisa Cup 2018 with his willow according to Jairaj Muthu as well.
