Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa believes KL Rahul has been unfairly criticised in his career. Rahul recently scored an unbeaten 129 off just 87 balls against the West Indies in the final ODI in Mullanpur.
Rahul, playing his first innings of the series, played a crucial knock to help India post 351/7 after they were reduced to 28/2 inside the first 10 overs. He smashed nine fours and three sixes in his 87-ball innings but his knock went in vain as India suffered a five-wicket loss.
The wicketkeeper-batter also completed his ninth ODI century and crossed the 10,000-run mark in international cricket during his innings. He became the 15th Indian batter to reach the milestone.
Uthappa reckons Sanju Samson and KL Rahul are often put under the scanner by the naysayers.
Uthappa said on CommBox with Deepak Goyal YouTube Channel, “It’s challenging being in KL’s shots. He also got tossed around a lot. He’s a milder version of Sanju Samson in being tossed around. He copped a lot as a cricketer and a human being. But he dealt with it with a lot of class. He’s right now the most technically sound batter in ODIs and Tests. He always took ownership of everything, and even when he made mistakes, he used to own it. He’s a fascinating personality but a very endearing human being.”
The 2007 T20 World Cup-winner said Rahul has worked hard on his wicket-keeping.
“He’s not a natural wicketkeeper. But the versatility that he brings to the fore in developing a skill that is required for him to exist and thrive in the ecosystem is phenomenal. He has put in a lot of work. Today, he doesn’t look like an unnatural or manufactured wicketkeeper. That’s how hard he has worked on it,” said Uthappa (via the aforementioned source).
Uthappa backed Rahul to deliver in the upcoming years and be cherished along with the big stars of Indian cricket.
He concluded, “He still has tremendous potential and will continue to be a stalwart for Indian cricket. Over the next years, I feel he’ll transition to a point where he is as respected as an Ajinkya Rahane and the love that he received when he finished and even be as endeared as a Rohit.”
Rahul will be seen in action on the upcoming New Zealand tour.
