Strike-rates over-rated, need to play according to situation: KL Rahul

Recently dropped from the Test XI against Australia, India batter KL Rahul feels that strike-rates are over-rated and one needs to play according to the situation instead of just focusing on that facet. Rahul's strike-rate has been under scrutiny in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he consumes a lot of deliveries early on, putting pressure on the rest of the batters. However, he does have a terrific record in the IPL, having scored at an average of 48.01 and a strike-rate of 136.22.

In fact, no batter has scored more runs than Rahul since IPL since 2019, having accumulated over 2,500 runs at 55.67 along with a strike-rate of 134.50.  

"I think strike rate is over-rated. But it depends upon the demand, like if you chase 140 - you don't need to go with 200 strike rate - it depends upon the current situation," Rahul said at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) jersey launch.

𝑵𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒈, 𝑵𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒉, 𝑵𝒂𝒚𝒊 𝑼𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒅, 𝑵𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒂𝒛 👕💪#JerseyLaunch | #LucknowSuperGiants | #LSG pic.twitter.com/u3wu5LqnjN

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 7, 2023

Despite his excellent record, Rahul is yet to win an IPL title. He has previously led Punjab Kings (PBKS) before he was picked up by LSG last season, a team that he also leads. LSG reached the playoffs in their maiden season last year under Rahul's leadership.

Rahul has struggled to get going in Test cricket of late. He has registered scores of 8, 10, 12, 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, 17, and 1, that has seen Shubman Gill replace him at the top.