ICC World Cup 2019: KL Rahul Was Confident in his Approach - Sachin Tendulkar

Former Indian legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar praised KL Rahul for his confident approach in the high-octane match against arch-rivals Pakistan. Rahul who replaced Shikhar Dhawan for the opening position scored a fine knock of 57 runs from 78 balls and showed a lot of resistance with the bat. The flamboyant batsman played second fiddle to Rohit Sharma who was the aggressive batter.

Rahul was able to grab the opportunity with both hands as he adopted a cautious approach. The right-hander left the ball with aplomb and played the Pakistan bowlers cautiously. The Karnataka batsman has found form at the right time and he had smashed a fine century against Bangladesh in the warm-up match.

Rahul had played a matured innings.

KL Rahul is a technically correct batsman and he showed the same against Pakistan. He took his time in the initial phase against the fast bowlers and then launched his attack against the Pakistan spinners.

Tendulkar said, “There was a lot of surety and certainty in Rahul’s footwork when he opened the batting. Not for an instant did he make me believe he’s actually the number four batsman who has been promoted up the order. He seemed very confident about his approach, even while leaving the balls he was not at all tentative.”

On the other hand, KL Rahul said that it was imperative to play time as he had not opened in the recent past. Rahul was selected in the team as a back-up opener but he was given number four position after he scored a fine hundred in the warm-up match. After Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, Rahul was the first choice opener for India.

During the mid-innings break, Rahul had quoted, “I haven’t opened the batting for a while. I’ve had to wait in the sidelines for this opportunity for a couple of years, so it was important to be smart and play out the first 10 overs, happy with the way I did.”

Rahul was able to do justice to his role and it must have given him the shot in the arm. India will play their fifth match of the World Cup at Rose Bowl, Southampton on 22nd June against Afghanistan.