KL Rahul’s winning ton versus Mumbai Indians sends positive messages

Most importantly though, it will help restore confidence in him among BCCI decision makers, that their assessment of the Karnataka player as a future leader was accurate.

There are many India players leading IPL sides, but there’s no doubt who the selectors and BCCI office-bearers are focused on as captain-in-waiting.

In South Africa, when results didn’t come after India lost the second Test and the ODIs under Rahul’s captaincy, the top brass was a bit concerned. Going into IPL, as skipper of newcomers LSG, Rahul knew he can’t fail. It was not just about IPL. His leadership credentials were under the scanner. Under him, Punjab Kings were resolutely middling, finishing sixth in 2020 and 2021. A harsher spotlight shone on him when he led India in South Africa, losing all four matches.

When the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group-owned franchise spent ₹17 crore to acquire him as IPL’s joint highest paid player, Rahul had to deal with the weight of expectations.

These are early days, but he has begun the LSG journey impressively. Leading in his calm manner, he is getting results. Close to the halfway stage, LSG are second in the league table with four wins out of six games.

Saturday’s hundred showed that his regaining his best this IPL. The build-up had been up and down, with scores of 0, 40, 68, 24 and 0, bowled first-ball.

His 103 not out against Mumbai Indians has lifted him to second in the run-getters chart (235 runs at an average of 47), only behind Jos Buttler’s 268 (avg 68.00). Rahul’s consistency with the bat in the last two years has been phenomenal.

He was the third highest run-getter with 626 runs in 2021 after topping the charts in 2020 with 670 runs. He was the second highest run-scorer in 2019 with 593 runs and stood third in 2018 aggregating 659 runs. But the results were not coming for the team with Punjab Kings. Everyone was waiting to see how he will fare in a different team. Now, with a balanced side under his command, the batting success is rubbing off on his captaincy.

OPENERS BATTLE

The tournament is also important for the players as the T20 World Cup will be held in October-November in Australia. IPL performances will carry a lot of weight. No other spot has as much competition as the opening slot.

Apart from Rohit Sharma and Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan will all challenge for the opener’s slot with good IPL performances.

There’s still a long way to go, though the knock against MI will be a confidence booster. The demands of the role have changed. Strike rate is the main consideration. That’s why Ishan Kishan is being given so many chances by Rohit Sharma, for India as well at MI. Sharma too has started attacking from the start to adapt to this new requirement, even if it has led to early dismissals.

In the past, the Lucknow Super Giants skipper was criticised for his T20 scoring rate despite his big knocks. On Saturday, Rahul shifted gears smoothly. For batters with a copy-book technique who face strike-rate pressure, the ability to clear the rope is important to make up for the respect they show to the good deliveries. That was the key to Rahul’s onslaught on Saturday.

After reaching fifty in 33 balls, he went on the rampage, getting to hundred in just 56 balls. Rohit Sharma, pointed to Rahul’s knock to say where MI need to catch up. “KL batted brilliantly; that is something missing from our team. We wanted someone in our top four to bat as long as possible, which is not happening.”

After the win, Rahul said: “We’ve played well, we need to be humble and keep learning. The team is brilliant and I enjoy spending time with them,” he said. “Creating a team that was comfortable was something we looked for in the auction.”

LSG is the most expensive team in IPL history—Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group won the rights for the team with a bid of ₹7,090 crore. Being with a high-profile team attracts intense scrutiny, but there are great benefits too. Virat Kohli is a classic example. In 2013, he was handed the captaincy of the glamorous RCB. From there his career took off. His stature in the national team grew and within a year he was leading India as well, though RCB has not won an IPL. For Rahul, the early signs at LSG are positive.