Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has showered praise on the Indian Test opener KL Rahul, terming him one of the best Test cricketers in the current Indian side. Rahul is currently playing the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
Pujara’s comments came after Rahul scored 77 runs, getting retired hurt after suffering severe cramps in the first Test in Galle. Speaking exclusively to Cricinfo, Pujara has lauded the Karnataka-born batter for playing the longest format of the game traditionally.
“He (KL Rahul) is, for me, probably one of the best Test cricketers in this Indian Test side. He is leading from the front all the time, showing some of the young players how to approach Test cricket. Methods might be different. Some players will carry on playing the aggressive way, but Rahul is showing again and again that Test cricket still can be played in a traditional way. So, he is sticking to his strength,” Cheteshwar Pujara told Cricinfo.
Furthermore, Pujara has also lauded Rahul for his sheer consistency in this particular format. He went on to add that he wasn’t able to convert his scores a couple of years ago, but he has attained consistency of late.
“What is impressive to see is that he is defending the ball well, he is leaving the ball well. When he gets his opportunity to score runs, he is capitalizing on that. But the biggest point here is, he is showing that consistency, which was lacking maybe a couple of years back. He was getting enough opportunities but he was missing out on those opportunities,” he added.
“Now, whenever he is crossing 30, 40 or 50, he is making it into a big one. Because of cramps, he couldn’t carry on with his innings. But he still has that opportunity to get to his 100. So, hopefully on Day 2, if he gets to bat, he will make it count,” Pujara concluded.
After opting to bat first, India went on to score 376/5 in 97 overs on Day 2. Devdutt Padikkal, the No.3 batter, went on to score 167 runs off 230 balls.
