'You can't be scoring 80, 100 in 1st, 2nd Tests and then finish with 30 average': KL Rahul urged to step up in England

Former India batter Aakash Chopra urged KL Rahul to step up in England in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and make the most of his stature as a senior player. Rahul started the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia on a good note as he played gritty knocks in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. However, the right-hander series ended on a poor note on the back of low scores in Melbourne and Brisbane. Rahul might have started the series well but he eventually finished with an average of less than 40. KL Rahul has been urged to step up in England as a senior player(AFP)

India named a reasonably young squad for the upcoming five-match series against England, beginning June 20. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the Tests, Rahul and Rishabh Pant will shoulder the bulk of the responsibility. These two are among the few members of the squad who have some experience playing in England.

Rahul opened the batting alongside Rohit Sharma in the 2021-22 series against England in the UK. Thanks to the starts provided by these two, India went on to take a 2-1 lead in the series. India might not have won the series after losing the rescheduled Test, but Rahul's performance was among the major positives. No one can really forget his century at the Lord's Cricket Ground as well.

Chopra has just one request for KL Rahul: Do not taper off after starting the series on a good note.

Speaking on JioStar, Chopra said, "For Rahul, there is one thing in my mind that the entire series does not turn out to be good despite him getting off to a good start. Whether it is the series of Australia, the series of England, or the series of South Africa. The start was very good, but he tapers off towards the end. So at some stage, you need to figure out that it is not possible to make 80 in the first match and 100 in the second but then finish the series with an average of 30."

“I want a series of averages of 47, 48, 52, 54. And no better time to do this than now. Because you are not new, Rohit is not there, Kohli is not there. There will be more responsibility. KL Rahul is one of those who played the whole series last time. So KL, you have a little more responsibility,” he added.

KL Rahul has played 58 Tests in his career so far, but he has failed to set the stage on fire, averaging just 33.57. He might have hit eight centuries, but time and time again, he has ended the series on a bad note despite starting the series with an 80 or 100.

‘I love red-ball cricket’

Recently, while speaking to former England captain Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, KL Rahul stated that he loves Test cricket and every other member of the Indian squad loves representing the team in the longest format.

“I love red-ball cricket. You can’t take that away from me, or anyone who’s been part of that Indian team,” said KL Rahul.

"Everyone I’ve spoken to in that squad feels the same. Red ball cricket is number one for us. We love playing Test cricket, and that hasn’t changed for me," KL Rahul added.

The series between India and England will begin on June 20. The five matches will be played across Leeds, Edgbaston, Lord's Cricket Ground, Manchester and the Oval.

Click here to read article