Former West Indies legendary batsman Brian Lara has revealed that India’s flamboyant batsman, KL Rahul is his favourite. Lara, who is currently leading the West Indies legends in the ongoing Road Safety World Series, feels Rahul is all class. KL Rahul has been in sublime form in the recent past in the white-ball format.
Surprisingly, Rahul was not included in the two-match Test series against New Zealand. The opening batsman had scored 224 runs in the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis and thus he was awarded the Player of the series.
Rahul is one of the most stylish modern day batsman in the world and there is no doubt that he has got the right technique under his belt. Lara went on to add that Rahul is a treat to the eyes. Meanwhile, Lara added that he still follows the game with the same zest.
Brian Lara said while talking to Sportstar, “I follow the West Indies as you know. They did pretty well in Sri Lanka in the T20 version of the game. Around the world, there are so many amazing batsmen to look at. There is Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma. My favorite is K.L. Rahul”.
“He’s just class. I mean, when you are watching a player, you want to see him play, you want to see great technique, a good aggressive spirit as well. He is a great entertainer, he’s a great person to watch bat. This is as simple as that. He’s no better batsman than Virat Kohli. Virat is the best batsmen in the world, but it’s just the preference of who I like to see bat. No disrespect to anybody else”.
On the other hand, Rahul had struggled to perform consistently and hence he also got the axe from the Test side. However, the Karnataka batsman was able to turn the tide in the series against Australia as he scored 146 runs in three matches and he hasn’t looked back since then.
Lara added that one should not get ample opportunities just because they look good and it is up to Rahul to secure his place in the Test side. The former Windies batsman added he is not involved with Indian cricket when he was asked whether Rahul should have been included for the Test series against the Kiwis.
“I am not involved in Indian cricket. I just know that with his technique and the way I see him bat, he should not have a problem being in any team. So I don’t know if it’s the lack of scores or whatever the case may be.. that might be his problem, which he has to work out. I don’t think anybody should be given too much of a chance because they look good. He’s got the ability to play all forms of the game and to secure his place. He should be one of the first names after Virat Kohli in any Indian team. And (for that to happen), he’s in charge of that, not the selectors, not any favours or anything. He’s in charge of his own destiny”.
KL Rahul has been in sublime form and he would like to carry on the same. Rahul has also grabbed the wicket-keeping opportunity in the white ball formats as he has ticked the right boxes. The right-hander will be in action in the series against South Africa, which begins with the first ODI set to be played at Dharamshala on the 12th of March.
Written by: Gautam Chauhan
