MUMBAI, April 29 (PTI): The elegant KL Rahul’s ability to score at a healthy rate by playing textbook stroke has caught the attention of none other than batting great Sunil Gavaskar, who feels it’s a message that one doesn’t need to manufacture shots to score quickly.
In the ongoing IPL-15, Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rahul has been in sublime form at the top of the order and has already hit two hundreds — both against Mumbai Indians.
With 368 runs, he is the second highest run-getter so far this season, just behind Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler.
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Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “He’s been outstanding. The best part about KL Rahul’s batting is that nothing is agricultural in his cricketing shots. Every shot that he plays is a proper textbook stroke.
“So what he has actually told you with his shot-making skills is that you don’t have to manufacture shots. If you’ve got the shots, use them and the selection of his shots has been outstanding.”
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen also lavished praise on the Karnataka batter claiming his batting to be a breath of fresh air.
Pietersen said, “He has a wide range of shots in his armoury. So he can hit you over back-foot point, he can slice you for a six. He can hit you over extra-cover, he can hit you down the ground, and he can pick you over midwicket.
“So, he really is a 360-degree batter. I mean, he’s a breath of fresh air. You can switch on the TV and watch him bat all day.”
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said the right-handed batter plays according to the situation.
Irfan said, “Lokesh Rahul is the batsman who can increase or decrease the striker rate according to the situation. He has the style, the elegance and aggression to build his innings the way he wants.
“He has sound technique and a good temperament. He is gauging the situations and batting accordingly. Rahul knows very well when he needs to shift gears.”
