NEWS
Follow UsKL Rahul has been India’s best batter so far in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The opener has faced the most deliveries so far in the series and has made Australian bowlers work hard for his wicket in almost every innings. The 32-year-old, on December 17 (Tuesday), proved once again why he is currently one of India's best batters in overseas conditions.
In the third Test of the five-match series in Brisbane, Rahul crafted 84 off 139 deliveries before falling to Nathan Lyon. India kept losing wickets from the other end, but Rahul stood firm and played one of the best knocks of his career. While most of the other Indian batters have tried to be aggressive, Rahul said batting time and then looking for runs is something that has worked for him in overseas conditions.
"I'm quite certain that everybody has their own set plans and they're clear with what they need to do. You also need to have a bit of luck as a top-order batter. Just a little bit that goes your way. If you can get through those first 10, 15 overs and get a bit of confidence, then you start feeling good and you start enjoying playing with the Kookaburra ball, with the pace and bounce here in Australia," said Rahul, who has now scored 231 runs in this series at an average of 46.20.
"If you look at all our batters, everyone enjoys playing on fast, bouncy wickets. We don't mind it. So, it's just about getting through those first 20, 30 balls for everybody. And everyone's trying their best to do that. It's a long series, so we've played three games, five innings now. So, I'm sure everyone will go back and come up with their own plans the next time we bat or in the next couple of games. I don't think there's anything different.
"The only thing you can do in the first 30 overs is to tighten up your defence, try and respect that the first 30 overs is the bowler's time and give them their time. Leave balls, try and play as tight as possible and then really try to cash in once the ball gets older. So, that's my plan and that's pretty simple. And I'm sure that's the plan for everybody. For some people, it works on a given day. For some, it doesn't. So, we'll all come back again in the next innings and try harder."
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Talking about multiple rain breaks during his knock, Rahul added: “Yeah, rain breaks were very frustrating. I think I got more tired running up and down the stairs than being in the middle. Yeah, but it was a challenge. It wasn’t easy for us. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for them [Australia] as well to keep going on for a couple of overs, go back, sit in the dressing room, change again, come back. So it was a frustrating day for both teams."
Rahul also heaped heavy praise on Jadeja with whom he added crucial 67 runs for the sixth wicket after India were reduced to 74/5. Playing his first match of the series, Jadeja once again proved his worth with the bat. The left-hander, who scored 77 off 123 deliveries, looked assured from the start. His knock didn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as Jadeja has been one of India’s best batters in the last few years.
Jadeja’s average in the last three years is better than Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. That’s not it; in the current Indian batting line-up, Jadeja (78.4) also has the best balls/dismissal in Test cricket since 2022. Rahul said Jadeja has a very simple plan when it comes to batting and that’s why he has been so consistent for India for many years.
“Jadeja was brilliant today. He has been brilliant batting down the order for us for many, many years. That’s what we expect from Jadeja. He’s proven that he can do this and he’s done this for so many years. I was also really happy that, firstly, I could stitch a partnership with him when he came in.
“It was really needed at that stage. And then he went on to score 70-80 runs with the tailenders. Every run today was crucial for us just to get past that follow-on firstly. And see how much or how many runs we can put on board. So, he made that possible. And, yeah, he’s a very experienced guy. He’s played there for so many year.
“Jadeja understands exactly what he needs to do and how he needs to perform and get runs for the team at that stage. Often, it’s only Jadeja’s bowling that’s spoken about. But I think he’s been a great performer even with the bat. He has a really solid technique and I enjoy batting with him. I enjoy watching him play and watching him train at practice. He seems to have his game plan really simple and really sorted. So, really happy that he could come into the team and do the job for us.”
Rahul’s knock was really important, but the right-hander got out at the team score of 141, with India still needing 104 runs to avoid the follow-on. Jadeja and Nitish Reddy (16) then added 53 runs for the seventh wicket before the latter, and Mohammed Siraj perished in quick succession.
Jadeja got out trying to keep the scoreboard moving and India still had 33 runs to avoid the follow-on. That’s when Jasprit Bumrah (10*) and Akash Deep (27*) joined hands and put on an unbeaten stand of 39 runs, which will force Australia to bat once again on day five.
“I was thinking more about going and padding up and trying to go back to bat. Probably you don’t know, I’m not sure if they would have enforced the follow-on. So I was thinking about what I need to do with my batting,” said Rahul.
"Yes, it's very good to see when the lower-order chips in and scores runs. That's something we discuss in our meetings. The bowlers work hard on their batting. It's really good to see that they could go there and get that little partnership. Avoiding the follow-on makes a huge difference. Knowing that there's a little bit rain around, we needed to find a way to stay in the game. Akash and Bumrah did that, and it was a great way to end the day for us,” said Rahul.
“It was a great contest in the last half-an-hour. Not just the runs they scored or the way they batted, the heart that they showed to keep away the bouncers, to get behind the ball, to defend the ball well and play some shots. It's really good. It will give them a lot of confidence and will give the group a lot of confidence.”
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