KL Rahul Called 'Tapasvi' After Gritty Innings In Manchester Test

News18

6 days ago

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KL Rahul's 511 runs in eight innings earned him praise from Aakash Chopra, who called him a "tapasvi" for his patience and solidity in the England series.
After scoring two magnificent hundreds at Trent Bridge and Lord's, KL Rahul just missed out on his third century of the tour of England in Manchester. The elegant Indian opener played a gritty and restrained knock of 90 in the decisive third innings of the fourth Test, helping the tourists come out unscathed with a draw.
Former opener Aakash Chopra admired Rahul's monk-like patience and solidity, hailing him as a ' tapasvi ' (ascetic), who virtually meditated in the middle with bat in hand. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra called for the respect Rahul deserves for his remarkable contributions in a tough overseas assignment.
Rahul finished at Old Trafford as India's second-highest run-getter of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with a mammoth 511 runs in eight innings at an average of 63.87. The classy right-hander stands only behind skipper Shubman Gill, who has been in the form of his life and smashed four hundred for his astonishing tally of 702 runs.
'At some point, I hope people start giving him the respect he deserves. He's playing like a tapasvi, a true ascetic at the crease. He may have missed his century, but he's been the backbone of India's top order this series," Chopra stressed.
He also underlined how Rahul's influential performances at the top meant the tourists have hardly missed their now-retired veteran opening batter, Rohit Sharma.
'We expected to miss Rohit at some point, given how good he was last time here. But KL and Yashasvi have done incredibly well. They've been solid and confident, and that's been vital," the commentator said.
Bringing all his powers of concentration into play, Rahul batted unfazed by a surface that deteriorated and offered more uneven bounce to the seamers at Old Trafford. It was his partnership with Gill after India were rocked hard early and got reduced to 0 for 2 that revived the visitors' fortunes and reignited belief against a 311-run deficit with five sessions of play left.
Along the way, Rahul entered an exclusive club, becoming only the second Asian opener after the legendary Sunil Gavaskar to score over 500 runs in a Test series in England. Rahul is also only the second visiting opener this century to bag this incredible milestone after former South African captain Graeme Smith in 2003.
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