Rahul’s batting ‘tailor-made’ for England, says Knight

Former England opener Nick Knight praised KL Rahul’s composed and stylish batting performance in India’s second innings of the Headingley Test, describing the right-hander’s technique as “tailor-made for English conditions”.

After England’s first innings ended on 465, leaving India a slender lead of six runs, Rahul spearheaded India’s second innings batting with a calculative half century, and a resolute partnership with Rishabh Pant, that helped India maintain control in the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

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His innings featured trademark shots, a flowing on-drive and cover drive off Brydon Carse before stamping his authority with crisp square drives against Josh Tongue, and a couple of commanding pulls off Shoaib Bashir for boundaries.

“I just love watching KL Rahul bat. He’s one of my favourite players to watch – such elegance, such control. I genuinely believe his style and technique are tailor-made for English conditions. He gets into a solid stride, really gets that front foot close to the pitch of the ball, which helps him cover any lateral movement – something that’s critical here in England,” Knight said to the host broadcaster.

“His balance today was outstanding. I noticed England tried to go a little fuller to him, maybe in an attempt to draw out the bottom hand and make him play through mid-wicket. But when they hit that in-between length, he was just too good – so much control, composure, and time. And overall, that partnership at the top was just excellent. Set the tone beautifully for India,” he added.

After the early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal (4), Rahul found an able partner in Sai Sudharsan. Making his debut series appearance, Sudharsan got going with soft hands and two crisp boundaries, helping keep the scoreboard ticking alongside Rahul.

However, just three overs before stumps, Sudharsan was dismissed for 30, clipping an inswinger from Ben Stokes to midwicket, where the catch was comfortably taken. Rahul and captain Shubman Gill ensured no further damage before close of play.

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar also hailed Rahul’s near-flawless innings as “perfection in motion” while praising Sudharsan’s technique.

“We’ve seen KL Rahul play many good innings over the years, but I have to say – that knock was very close to perfection. Honestly, he didn’t put a foot wrong. There were a couple of cover drives in particular that were absolute 10 out of 10 – even the harshest of critics would struggle to find a flaw. It was perfection in motion. There’s a lot of responsibility on KL Rahul, and he’s carrying it superbly. Touch wood, he’s looking in excellent rhythm.

“As for Sai Sudharsan, it was good to see him get some runs under his belt. He’ll be disappointed not to kick-on because, as a batter, once you cross 30, you feel like you’ve assessed the attack and done the hard work. But that’s where he’s unique – very old-school in his approach. He plays the ball late, very still at the crease, no exaggerated trigger movement – just classic technique. That short-arm jab, the cover drive, even the straight drive… textbook stuff,” Manjrekar added.