Former Indian Test off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has put his weight behind KL Rahul to show significant improvement in his Test average after his impressive show in the third Border-Gavaskar Test against Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane.

Rahul top-scored for India with 84 runs in the first innings to help the visitors avoid the follow-on. The flamboyant batter has looked the most impressive Indian batter in the first three Test matches against the Aussies, returning with scores of 26, 77, 37, 7, and 84.

The right-hander from Karnataka has amassed 3216 runs in 56 Test matches at an average of 34.58 and Harbhajan reckons Rahul should be averaging more than 50 in the red-ball game given his solid technique.

“It should happen, considering the ability he has. He is a proper batter. His technique is excellent and he has the game for Test cricket. He knows how to leave the ball and has all types of shots. He plays spin and fast bowling well. He plays the short ball well, but I want to see an increase of 20-25 in his average,” Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports.

“Considering his stature and the kind of player he is, his average should be around 50-55. I see a massive scope of improvement from here. He has had an up-and-down career. He has been in and out of the team and couldn’t play cricket for a long time due to injury,” Harbhajan observed.

Harbhajan feels Rahul would show an upward swing in his batting credentials in the next five years.

“I hope he is less injured now and plays continuous cricket. This slot is good for him. He opens and likes to play balls. He plays long innings. We expect his graph to keep moving upwards and when we talk about KL Rahul after five years, it will be enjoyable if the average is 50-55,” he stated.

The fourth Test match between India and Australia will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground from 26th December.