Decoding the poor run of KL Rahul in Test cricket
Indian opener KL Rahul's poor run of form haunted him in the concluded Test match against Australia in Delhi. He came up with paltry scores of 17(41) and 1(3). He was dismissed for a 71-ball 20 in the first Test in Nagpur. Rahul has now gone 10 innings without scoring a fifty in red-ball cricket. We look at his lean patch in Test cricket.
Why does this story matter?
Rahul, who clobbered his maiden Test ton at SCG, hasn't done justice to his skills and talent in the format. While he continues to excel in limited-overs cricket, he has been highly inconsistent in the longest format. With young and upcoming batters like Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, and Prithvi Shaw in line, it's high time Rahul delivers the goods in Tests.
Rahul last scored a ton in December 2021
Rahul's last Test ton was against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion in 2021. He notched a match-winning 123 off 260 deliveries (4s: 17, 6s: 1). He followed it up with 23 in the second innings. Rahul hasn't scored a hundred in his last 12 Test innings. He has amassed 198 runs in this interval.
Rahul averages less than 16 post-Centurion Test
Rahul has aggregated merely 175 runs across 11 innings (6 Tests) post the Centurion game. He averages a poor 15.90 with a strike rate of 35.42. He has struck 21 fours and one maximum. His scores in this interval: 50, 8, 12, 10, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, 17, and 1.
Rahul captained India on three occasions in Tests
Rahul was handed the captaincy for the Johannesburg Test after Virat Kohli complained of a back injury. The right-handed batter managed 50 and 8, but India lost the Test by seven wickets. He then captained India on the Bangladesh tour in 2022. Although the visitors won the two-match series 2-0, Rahul's performances weren't satisfactory. He tallied 57 runs at 14.25.
A look at his Test numbers
Rahul made his India debut in the 2014-15 Border-Gavsakar Trophy Down Under. He has since amassed 2,642 runs across 47 matches at an average of 33.44. He has slammed seven tons and 13 half-centuries (HS: 199 vs England). At home, Rahul has tallied 923 runs at 40.13. Meanwhile, he has scored 1,719 runs in away venues at 30.69 (100s: 6, 50s: 5).
Rahul owns a distinguishable feat
Rahul is the only Indian batter with seven successive fifty-plus scores in an inning in Tests. It started with a gritty 90 versus Australia in Bengaluru in March 2017. His next six scores read 51, 67, 60, 51*, 57, and 85. Overall, Rahul is only the sixth batter to own this feat besides Everton Weekes, Andy Flower, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kumar Sangakkara, and Chris Rogers.
Should Rahul be given a lengthy run?
Rahul will be given all the backing, as confirmed by Team India head coach Rahul Dravid post the Delhi Test. "This is just a phase, he has been one of our most successful overseas openers. He's got hundreds in South Africa and England, we'll continue to back him," said Dravid. The third Test will be held in Indore and commences on March 1.
India lead the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series 2-0
India beat Australia by six wickets in the second Test to take a 2-0 lead in the fourth-match series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Notably, India have won each of the last three Test series against Australia with a 2-1 scoreline. Australia last won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home in 2014-15 (2-0).
