KL Rahul

Hailing from a background of high academic standards, KL Rahul was born and brought up in the prestigious National Institute of Technology Karnataka, where his father is a professor in the department of Civil Engineering. He finished his schooling in NITK and grew to develop keen interest in cricket. Having started off with batting on the grass-less field of the college, Rahul's parents spotted a spark in him and decided that he must receive formal training in order to realize his talents.

Rahul rose through the ranks of Under-19 cricket and broke into the Karnataka first-class side and had a decent debut season in 2010-11. He was left out of the squad for the succeeding season, but he returned for the 2012-13 season, in which he had a prolific run of form, becoming the highest run-getter of the season, propelling himself into contention for the highest honour of them all – an India Test cap.

The prospect of a debut on a momentous occasion like the Boxing Day at the MCG against the world's chirpiest team seemed to throw Rahul off his game, as he crumbled under pressure and lost his wicket to two shots unbecoming (to say the least) of a Test player. With the series already lost, and in a manifestation of compassion for Rahul's nervous jitters, the selectors and the captain decided to give Rahul a go at his usual opening spot in the Sydney Test. He had a dramatic redemption in Sydney as he stroked his way to a patient century, proving that he belongs in the national side – to himself, more than anyone else.

This hundred gave Rahul some momentum, and he went on to make hundreds in Sri Lanka and West Indies on away tours, making the opening combination a dilemma for the Indian selectors. He showed his tendency to convert starts, making his first three fifty-plus scores count, and going on to score a hundred each time. However, he continued to have anxious starts and got the reputation of an 'all-or-nothing' player.

Rahul was selected in the limited-overs squads to Zimbabwe and West Indies in mid-2016. It was then that Rahul showed his versatility across formats, bursting forth with a hundred each on ODI and T20I debut, after a fine run in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The young right-hander got a chance to play his first home Test, but a series of injuries and recurrences managed to keep him going in and out of the playing XI until the Chennai Test against England in late 2017 when he made a full recovery. He went on to make a heart-breaking 199 in Chennai; his current highest score in Test cricket.

With an ideal mentor in Rahul Dravid, KL Rahul shares more than his first name with the Indian legend; the dogged resistance, the compact, airtight technique, and the unimpeachable focus at the crease are all common factors between the two batting technicians. Rahul does need to work a tad more on his nerves, though, after his tame dismissal on 199 in Chennai further reinforced his image as a timorous player. However, with age on his side, Rahul can work on his nerves and with an all-conditions' technique to go with it, he is an exciting prospect for India's long and challenging overseas season and he would like to reinforce his spot as a long-term option for India as a premier Test opener.

Written by Rishi Roy