File photo of KL Rahul.© AFP
KL Rahul is among the Indian batters who have impressed in the ongoing Test series against Australia. Rahul was given a chance to open for India in the absence of Rohit and he returned with scores of 26 and 77 in Perth. Rohit entered the playing XI from the second Test but Rahul continued to play as an opener. Of late, Rahul came up with a gritty 84-run knock in India’s first innings at the third Test in Brisbane. While heaping praises on his batting, ex-India cricketer Harbhajan Singh suggested that there is a “massive scope of improvement” in the average of Rahul.
Harbhajan shared his views during commentary on Star Sports when the broadcaster showed Rahul’s Test batting stats. The right-handed batter scored 3128 runs at an average of 34. in 55 Test matches he played (excluding India vs Australia Brisbane Test).
“He is a proper batter. His technique is excellent and he has the game for Test cricket. He knows how to leave the ball and has all types of shots. He plays spin and fast bowling well. He plays the short ball well, but I want to see an increase of 20-25 in his average,” said Harbhajan.
“Considering his stature and the kind of player he is, his average should be around 50-55. I see a massive scope of improvement from here. He has had an up-and-down career. He has been in and out of the team and couldn’t play cricket for a long time due to injury.
“I hope he is less injured now and plays continuous cricket. This slot is good for him. He opens and likes to play balls. He plays long innings. We expect his graph to keep moving upwards and when we talk about KL Rahul after five years, it will be enjoyable if the average is 50-55.”
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