KL Rahul will be extremely disappointed with himself: VVS Laxman

Former India international VVS Laxman feels KL Rahul will be 'extremely disappointed with himself' after throwing away good starts in the first Test against West Indies at Antigua.

Writing in his column for The Times of India, Laxman wrote, " KL Rahul will be extremely disappointed with himself for having done all the hard work in both innings and then getting himself out."

Rahul managed scored for 44 (off 97 balls) and 38 (off 85) in the 1st Test, thus extending his run without a fifty in Tests to ten innings. His last major score came at the Oval against England in September 2018 in the 5th Test in which he scored 149. Since then the Karnataka opener has played six Tests with a best of 44.

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However, Laxman was all praise for middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari, who made 32 and 93 in the Test. Laxman opined, "I was impressed with the way Hanuma Vihari approached his task. He batted freely without taking undue risks, and has looked like he belongs in Test cricket from the time he made his debut in England last year."

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The 44-year-old also commented about Ajinkya Rahane whose 81 and 102 in the Test was pivotal in India's 318-run win over West Indies. Rahane came in to the series with the pressure of putting in a good performance and he delivered.

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"It's never easy when you are playing only one format of the game internationally, as was evident from Cheteshwar Pujara's travails," he wrote, adding, "That alone puts AjinkyaRahane's twin efforts with the bat in perspective. He must have felt some pressure after not having scored a Test hundred in more than two years. Even though he had the backing of the selectors and the team management, the vice-captain would have been desperate to leave his mark, and his reaction upon reaching three figures on Sunday showed just how much this century meant to him."

Laxman also hailed Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed 5/7 in the second innings that had WI all out for a mere 100, chasing 419 to win.

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"In the past, the predominantly inswing bowler occasionally got the ball to straighten. It is a tribute to the work he has put in in the nets that now, he is able to take the ball away from the right-hander at will. His relentless attack of the stumps in the West Indies second innings was breathtakingly impactful," added Laxman.