KL Rahul Was Not Happy With Century vs West Indies, Ex-Coach Reveals Reason
KL Rahul ends nine-year wait for home Test hundred, but ex-coach says his hunger for big scores remains strong.
KL Rahul may have finally scored his long-awaited home Test hundred, but former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes the opener is not fully satisfied. Rahul will be keen to build on his form in the second Test against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Rahul has become the senior-most batter in India’s current red-ball setup, showing excellent form in England and following it up with a century in the first Test against West Indies.
He ended a nine-year wait for a home hundred in Ahmedabad and is now just 111 runs shy of 4,000 Test runs, having scored 3,889 runs in 64 matches at an average of 36.00, including 11 centuries and 19 fifties.
Nayar said Rahul’s knowledge of conditions in Delhi will help him in the upcoming match. He stressed that Rahul’s evolution lies in his approach, not technique, which will allow him to convert starts into bigger scores.
“Not technique, thought process. He plays the IPL from there. So he knows those conditions well. He scored more than 500 runs in the IPL. He knows how to score runs in Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. However, the biggest change is in the approach. He would want to convert that approach into bigger runs,” Nayar said on Star Sports.
The former coach added that Rahul’s hunger for big scores remains strong, despite reaching the milestone.
“He was disappointed. He got out on 100, but he had a chance to score 150 or 200. He knows he has scored runs after nine years. However, when you have form, maintain it, and keep scoring runs. His hunger will not be satiated.”
“We know he is the kind of batter who, once he starts, he doesn’t stop, reaches the fifth gear, and stays there. So the expectation is that KL Rahul carries this form and runs forward,” Nayar explained.
