India’s in-form opener KL Rahul is gearing up to play a few attacking shots before the third Test kicks off at Ranchi on March 16. The ‘Man of the Match’ of the Bengaluru Test, with his well-fought half-centuries in both the innings, has flourished despite Indian batsmen failure to take on Australian bowlers.
In the video tweet posted by BCCI on their Twitter handle, Rahul tries to make room for himself and hits the ball towards covers, stepping out of his crease a little. This technique surely aims to tackle Australian spin bowlers Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe. Both the spinners have created problems for Indian batsmen in both the Tests. Lyon took 8 wickets in the first innings at Bengaluru whereas O’Keefe bagged two six-wicket hauls at Pune.
BAAM! The @klrahul11 flourish #TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/duKwhVz55Y
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 15, 2017
Rahul has scored three half-centuries in the Test series so far, which is, by far, the highest from any batsmen in the tournament. He sure is the trump card for India against the Aussie bowling lineup. With Mitchell Starc ruled out of the tournament, Indian openers must have breathed a sigh of relief as Pat Cummins is not as dangerous as Starc’s lightning fast deliveries.
Rahul is expected to open alongside Murali Vijay upon his return to the team after injury and replace Abhinav Mukund, who made a comeback in the playing eleven after 6 years. Rahul missed a century at Bengaluru by a small margin and therefore, he will be eyeing the triple figures against Australia at Ranchi. From the looks of the pitch, it is a possibility that Steven Smith might go for Ashton Agar as a third spinner.
