New Delhi : Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel expressed his thoughts on seasoned opener KL Rahul's consistency and his record at The Oval where the fifth and final Test of the series will be played against England from July 31 to August 4.
KL is enjoying a rich run of form in England, having scored 508 runs in eight innings at an average of 72.57, with two centuries and two fifties each. He is India's second-highest run-getter in the series. This is his most successful Test series ever and in absence of legendary batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, KL has played the role of senior statesman of the team to the perfection.
Speaking on 'Match Centre Live', the JioStart expert Parthiv said about Rahul, ""I think the way KL Rahul has batted throughout this series has been impressive. In the past, we've often seen him start a series well but struggle to maintain that form. This time, however, he has shown remarkable consistency and batted with great responsibility. He also enjoys batting at The Oval -- remember, in 2018, he scored a brilliant hundred there alongside Rishabh Pant. So, I'm sure there's more to come from KL Rahul."
As the things stand now, KL is chasing his third century of the series and his fifth in England. He could become the first-ever Indian opener to have three centuries during a single series in England. He is also chasing legendary Sunil Gavaskar (19 fifty-plus scores in SENA countries) in a race to be amongst India's most successful batters in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia (SENA) conditions, having registered 12 fifty-plus scores already. On Saturday, he also became only the second Asian batter after Gavaskar to score 500-plus runs in a series in England.
To this day, KL has scored 10 Test centuries and nine of them have come outside India. Seven of them have come in SENA nations. He could score his eighth SENA ton on the fifth day, just 13 runs shy of it.
But despite all of his success in overseas conditions, a hallmark of a great Indian batter, KL has struggled to maintain consistency throughout his career, scoring 3,765 runs in 62 Tests and 109 innings at an average of 36.20, which does not do justice to a player of his calibre, technique and temperament. He has scored 10 centuries and 19 fifties, with a best score of 199.