Published: Jun 07, 2022, 03:53 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 07, 2022, 04:00 PM (IST)
New Delhi: Former Indian fast bowler RP Singh and opener Parthiv Patel have praised star batsman KL Rahul, who will be shouldering some extra responsibility in the five-match T20I series against South Africa. Rahul will be leading the team in the series and will look to take charge with his bat as well.
RP Singh praised the stand-in Indian captain for his game awareness and knowing when to step on the accelerator. Rahul was among the leading run-getters in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 for Lucknow Super Giants. However, he faced criticism for not taking enough risks while batting in the middle.
“Rahul is technically very sound. He has game-awareness as he picks the bowlers against whom he can take chances on a given day. If he gets out for a run-a-ball 25, we’d say that he played like Manish Pandey does. But he ticks all the boxes because he protects his wicket and knows when to accelerate,” Singh said on Cricbuzz.
The Indian opener scored a total of 616 runs in 15 matches at an average of 51.33, hitting two centuries and four half-centuries. Rahul took his team to the playoffs in its very first season of IPL.
Former India batsman Parthiv Patel revealed a unique quality of Rahul, which sets him apart from the rest of the batsmen in the world. He also said that he expects Rahul to get big scores in the upcoming series after getting off to a flying start in his career.
“Rahul is the only player who can score a century in 20 overs despite starting slowly. If you are able to score 100 runs off 60 balls, it means that you’ve read the game well and know how to pace your innings,” Partiv concluded.
The first match of the T20I series will be played on June 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
