#TFGtake: Why opportunist, KL Rahul's consistency could leave Dhawan & Pujara in trouble

KL RAHUL is showing all signs of being an opportunist. Only recently, did he score his maiden, ODI hundred on debut in the recently concluded series against Zimbabwe, and yesterday, the Karnataka lad scored his third Test century against the West Indies in Jamaica.

After being given the cold shoulder in Antigua, Rahul was anxiously waiting in the wings. Fortunately for Rahul, senior opener, Murali Vijay withdrew from the second Test with injury and the newcomer seized the moment in grand fashion.

Responding with a magnificent 158 in the first innings, Rahul has not only put India in a commanding position but has also highlighted his desperation and hunger to succeed in order to cement a place in the Indian Test side.

However, ever since the Karnataka batsman made his debut against Australia at Melbourne in 2014, he has been in and out of the playing 11. Rahul scored his maiden century in only his second Test in Sydney and immediately, notched up his second hundred too in his fourth Test in Colombo. But despite such consistency, the 24-year-old had to warm the bench as soon as his senior colleagues (Shikhar Dhawan, Vijay) were declared fit to play. 

Currently, Rahul has played six Tests with three centuries to his credit and although India has some marquee batsmen in the line-up, it doesn’t appear that Rahul will be carrying drinks anymore.

Unlike many other Indian batsmen, Rahul in his short stint, thus far has excelled in overseas conditions. Today, he holds the unique distinction of being only the third opener after Sunil Gavaskar and Vinoo Mankad to score first three or more Test centuries all away from home.

Furthermore, Rahul also became only the second Indian batsman, after former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin to convert his first three fifties into hundreds.

Rahul has been exuding confidence in his batting and also expressed his desire to succeed in all formats. A few days ago, India’s leading spinner, R Ashwin also praised the emergence of Rahul, and called him a “batting machine”.

”He has two Test centuries in two countries, and it doesn’t really matter because two Test centuries are huge. And from what I think about Rahul, he’s a fine player. We all know that he’s a quality cricketer,” 

Rahul’s compact technique, coupled with his ability to concentrate for long hours, certainly augurs well for this immediate future. Also, Rahul’s aggressive mindset to put the bad balls away keeps the scoreboard ticking. His move of hitting off-spinner, Roston Chase for a six to get to his hundred (96 to 102) was further a testimony of his positive mindset.

It’s also not to be forgotten that there is healthy competition for places in the Indian Test team, especially for the batsmen. Owing to Rahul’s consistency, the likes of Dhawan and Chesteshwar Pujara will start feeling the heat.

While Dhawan has been preferred to partner Vijay, his consistency has always been under the scanner. The southpaw has often failed to deliver but has somehow managed to hang on to his spot on reputation alone. 

On the other hand, Pujara too has struggled to get back to his run-amassing ways. The Saurashtra batsman has found it difficult to break free and score runs. His inability to convert his starts into substantial scores has certainly exposed him, and that could eventually cost him.

At the moment, the opening and No.3 slot is still up for grabs and given Rahul’s ability to perform at both these positions, it is only a matter of time before, he gets the nod.

Vijay might have missed this Test due to his thumb injury, but he is likely to be back for the third Test on August 9. And, if the Tamil Nadu batsman gets back to the top spot, it is difficult to see Dhawan and Pujara both playing at the expense of Rahul.