Abhishek Nayar, India’s assistant coach, has voiced his strong belief in KL Rahul’s ability to flourish in his Test career despite a decade characterized by inconsistencies. Since making his debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2014, Rahul has experienced a roller-coaster journey, oscillating between moments of brilliance and phases of indifferent form.
Rahul’s journey in Test cricket has seen him in and out of the team, primarily due to fluctuating performances. However, he has had his share of memorable moments, including a hundred in his second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and subsequent centuries in Colombo, Kingston, London, and twice in Centurion. These high points, however, have been overshadowed by his overall mediocre average of 34.12, the lowest among Indian batsmen who have played 50 or more Tests.
Despite predominantly playing as an opener, Rahul has recently been repositioned to the middle order. Nayar is hopeful that this adjustment will help Rahul unlock his full potential and yield more consistent performances. Speaking on Thursday, just a day before the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur, Nayar expressed optimism about Rahul’s future.
“When you are playing for India, inspiration is not something you need,” Nayar stated. “Sometimes it is just direction. Having spent some 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 finding his feet. I believe in South Africa, he played tremendous knocks for India.”
Nayar also highlighted the meaningful conversations he and Gautam Gambhir have had with Rahul, hoping that these discussions would catalyze a turnaround in Rahul’s performances. “We are very hopeful with the kind of conversation that Gauti [Gautam Gambhir] bhai and I have had with him, that we can have a turnaround in KL as well. These things sometimes take time,” he added.
In the first Test in Chennai, Rahul scored 16 and an unbeaten 22 in the two innings. Although his second innings was cut short due to India’s push for a declaration, Nayar saw enough promise in Rahul’s batting. “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 is the kind of cricket we are expecting and hoping from him,” Nayar said. “I am pretty sure going forward you will see the expectations and the performances you have from him.”
Rahul’s inclusion in the Chennai Test came at the expense of Sarfaraz Khan, who had been putting on commanding performances, including three half-centuries in five innings against England. Sarfaraz’s call-up to the national team came after years of resilience and prolific scoring at the domestic level. Nayar acknowledged the challenge in managing such scenarios where promising talents are benched for senior players.
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“The communication is very clear,” Nayar emphasized. “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 communication is very clear about what our expectations from the players are and what we want them to work on.”
Nayar stressed the importance of patience and understanding among players. “Every player is motivated, and being part of the Indian team is a significant achievement in many ways. Players understand that there will be times when they have to sit out for someone else. Such times will come in every player’s career – whether it was Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli [they had to go through that].”
Sarfaraz, likely to miss the Kanpur Test, continued to show his determination by taking extra practice ahead of the scheduled nets session, along with Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal on Wednesday.
“There will be times when he [Sarfaraz] will have to make way for a senior player,” Nayar noted. “But during those times, it is crucial that we, as support staff, have a growth mindset and work to develop the players. If the players are even better when they return to the team, they should be ready to perform.”
India’s batting lineup seems set for the Kanpur Test, with Rahul expected to retain his place. However, there is speculation about the inclusion of an additional spinner. The weather forecast, predicting rain on most days, adds another layer of complexity to the team’s planning. Nayar, much like Bangladesh’s head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, remained noncommittal regarding team selection, citing uncertainties about the playing surface.
“To be honest, I don’t know which surface we are going to play on yet,” Nayar admitted. “But both the pitches look pretty good. Kanpur is often known for good pitches. I am uncertain about the bounce yet. With the conditions and the forecast, tomorrow morning will be interesting. A lot will depend on the weather conditions, as you know in Test cricket, conditions can significantly affect how the pitch plays.”
Nayar concluded with cautious optimism, “It is too early for us to judge and decide or have any specific thought process about the pitch or the conditions. But we are hoping for a sunny day tomorrow instead of an overcast Kanpur.”
India fans and the cricketing community eagerly await to see if Rahul can finally transcend his potential into consistent, match-winning performances, as Nayar and the coaching staff work diligently to support this talented player.