Abhishek Nayar, India’s assistant coach, has expressed strong confidence in KL Rahul’s ability to revive and solidify his Test career, which has seen highs and lows over the past decade. Since debuting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2014, Rahul has experienced fluctuations in form that have resulted in an inconsistent presence in the Indian Test team.
Despite these challenges, Rahul has had several moments of brilliance, including a century in his second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and remarkable performances in Colombo, Kingston, London, and Centurion, twice. However, these flashes of excellence have been overshadowed by periods of mediocrity, reflected in his career average of 34.12—the lowest among Indian batsmen who have played 50 or more Tests.
Rahul has predominantly batted as an opener, but he has now been positioned in the middle-order, a change that Nayar believes could help him achieve more consistent success. “When you are playing for India, inspiration is not something you need,” Nayar commented on Thursday, speaking on the eve of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. “Sometimes it is just direction, and I feel, having spent a little time with KL in the last few days, he is someone who understands his game very well. Yes, there are times when a player is sort of finding his feet.”
Nayar highlighted Rahul’s significant contributions in South Africa as evidence of his potential to shine. “I feel, in South Africa, he played tremendous knocks for India when he was there. So we are very hopeful, with the kind of conversation that Gauti [Gautam Gambhir] bhai and I have had with him, that hopefully we can see a turnaround in KL as well. These things sometimes take time.”
During the first Test in Chennai, Rahul scored 16 and an unbeaten 22 in his two innings. India’s pursuit of a declaration in the second innings curtailed what could have been a longer stint at the crease for Rahul, but Nayar found his performance promising. “Even in the last game, I know we did not end up giving him much of a shot in the second innings, but the way he was batting in the second innings is the kind of cricket we are expecting and hoping from him. And I am pretty sure going forward, you will see the expectations and the performances that you have from him.”
Rahul replaced Sarfaraz Khan at the No. 6 position in Chennai, following Sarfaraz’s strong showing against England earlier, where he notched up three half-centuries in five innings. Sarfaraz’s rise to the national team was founded on years of impressive performances at the domestic level, but Nayar emphasized the need for clear and consistent communication with players who face such situations.
“The communication is very clear,” Nayar reiterated.
. “The last Test match was 7-8 months ago, and there has been a lot of time between that Test match and this one. The expectation is clear about what the players need to work on. Every player is motivated, and being a part of the Indian team is a big achievement. A player understands that there will be times when he has to sit out for someone else. Such times come in every player’s career, whether it was Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.”
Despite Sarfaraz’s likely exclusion from the Kanpur Test, he has remained proactive in practice, spending additional half an hour in the nets alongside Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Nayar underscored the importance of maintaining a growth mindset within the supporting staff to help sidelined players continue to develop.
“There will be times when he will have to make way for a senior player. But in those times, it is very important that we as a support staff have a growth mindset and try to develop the players. When they come back to the team and get a chance, they should be ready to perform,” Nayar stated.
While India’s batting lineup is expected to remain unchanged in Kanpur, Rahul’s place is almost assured. However, there might be an inclusion of an additional spinner, considering the rain forecast. Nayar, like Bangladesh’s head coach Chandika Hathurasingha, was cautious about predicting the playing conditions or team composition too early.
“To be honest, I don’t know which surface we are going to play on yet,” Nayar said. “But both pitches look good. Kanpur is known for good pitches, though I am not sure about the bounce yet. With the forecast and conditions, it will be interesting to see what we turn up to in the morning. A lot will depend on that, because as you know, conditions in Test cricket can hugely impact how the pitch plays. We are hoping to see a sunny day tomorrow and not an overcast Kanpur.”
As the Test match approaches, Nayar’s confidence in Rahul’s ability to translate potential into performance will be crucial for India’s aspirations, especially with the middle-order dynamics and the evolving team strategies.