SA vs IND: Team India’s former cricketer and former batting coach Sanjay Bangar feels that if KL Rahul continues to play as a middle-order batsman, then he can prove to be the most important player for India in Test cricket. With Rishabh Pant unavailable and Ishan Kishan out of the ongoing Test series against South Africa, Rahul got his chance as a middle-order wicketkeeper-batsman in the first Test in Centurion last week. He took full advantage of the opportunity by scoring 101 runs in the first innings.
KL Rahul can be a good number six batsman for India- Sanjay Bangar
Speaking on Star Sports, Bangar said that Rahul’s continuation of batting in the middle order can prove beneficial for India. He further said, “If he continues to play at number six, I think it will be a huge advantage for India because he is a stroke player. He has batted at different numbers and he can bat very well with the tail.”
The former India batsman further said, “We have seen this not only in Test cricket but also in other formats of the game. So all these things together make KL Rahul a good number 6 batsman, who can put India in a winning position in Test matches.”
Bangar said that Rahul will get a chance to play as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the middle order in the second Test against Proteas and then in the Test series against England. However, he added that the right-handed batsman may have to compete for a specialist middle-order batsman’s spot next season with Rishabh Pant potentially returning to the side.
Sanjay Bangar recalls that KL Rahul did not have a good debut against Australia in the 2014 Boxing Day Test. He said, “When he got his chance in the Melbourne Test in 2014, I was part of the dressing room.
He batted at number 5 or number 6 and was probably out while playing a sweep shot in the first innings.
So it was not a good start.”
Also Read – IND vs SA Test: KL Rahul created history by scoring a century in the Centurion Test
