KL Rahul rediscovers his T20 batting mojo where he first found it

8th April, 2018, KL Rahul has arrived at Mohali, hoping to kickstart Kings XI Punjab’s IPL campaign. Prior to this edition, the right-handed batter has only been intermittently successful in the cash-rich league. He enjoyed a stellar 2016 season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore but there has not been a lot to shout about otherwise.

With David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh in the side, Kings XI Punjab’s hopes do not solely depend on Rahul. That said, they are still longing for him to click into gear instantly and grab the IPL by the scruff of its neck. In their first game against the Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals now), they face a slightly tricky run-chase.

A 167-run target is usually not a lot in the IPL. But this is a day game, and the first both sides are playing since the mega-auction earlier in the year. It has all the makings of being a banana skin, and undoing whatever positivity has been generated. Rahul, though, does not let it happen.

If anything, he lays down as convincing an early marker as anyone has ever done since Brendon McCullum during the inaugural edition of the IPL. He blazes his way to a 14-ball fifty, leaving thousands at the ground and millions watching at home spellbound. Almost everyone knew Rahul could turn up the heat, having already scored a T20I hundred for India. But geez, this was something special – right out of the very top drawer of T20 batting.

Cut to almost four years later. Rahul is now a bona fide Indian batting superstar. He is an all-format giant and has a pretty decent recent record. He has continued scoring runs in T20s too, although a slight problem has crept into his game.

Since the 2019 iteration, there has been a change in approach. The poetry of pure stroke-making has given way to something more prosaic. There are a couple of drool-worthy strokes every now and then. However, they are often used as a last resort, perhaps just to tell people what he still remains capable of. While he was once known for instilling fear in the opposition, he is now playing on the illusion of fear.

So, when he walked out to bat against Australia at Mohali, he had quite a few quandaries to solve. When he was missing for most of India’s T20Is post the 2021 T20 World Cup, they resorted to an ultra-attacking approach – one that was built on attacking from the outset and utilising the powerplay. Rahul, though, has not batted in that fashion in the past couple of years.

At the recently concluded Asia Cup too, that stuck out, especially during a painfully sluggish innings against Hong Kong. He tried rectifying it in the games thereafter but did not find a lot of success. With Rishabh Pant waiting in the wings, Dinesh Karthik providing immense value as a finisher, and Deepak Hooda having distinguished himself in limited opportunities, there were also murmurs that Rahul was fighting for a spot in the side.

KL Rahul scored a splending fifty against Australia at Mohali

On Tuesday, however, Rahul dispelled a lot of those doubts. Batting first on a placid track, he took the attack to Australia and signalled his intention to dominate early. In the third over, while facing Josh Hazlewood, he danced down the track and nonchalantly whipped him over deep mid-wicket for six. He was aggressive throughout the powerplay, eventually registering 22 runs off the 14 balls he faced. That equated to a strike rate of 157.14. Throughout 2022, he has struck at 108.66.

The other refreshing aspect was how he attacked the middle overs. In recent years, he has developed a tendency to get bogged down by spin. Nothing of that sort happened at Mohali. When Glenn Maxwell was introduced into the attack, Rahul ensured that he cashed in. He was similarly severe on Cameron Green, who filled the fifth bowler’s quota alongside Maxwell.

Unfortunately for India, Rahul could not bat deep into the innings and catapult India to a total well beyond Australia’s reach. But during his essay, he emphasised that he was willing to buy into the Men in Blue’s new approach. There were times when he could have retreated into his shell and dropped anchor. But he didn’t. There were occasions when he could’ve opted for the safer option and ticked along. But he didn’t. And that, despite the loss to Australia, would please India.

In the past few months, the Men in Blue have had to make a lot of decisions vis-à-vis their batting unit. Rahul’s injury concerns have meant that he has not featured very regularly either. But on Tuesday, he repaid India’s faith.

You could say that he rediscovered his T20 batting mojo at the very venue where he first found it. It has taken four years, and plenty of back and forth. It has even led to conversations around whether he is suited to what India are seeking to accomplish. If he keeps batting this way, though, all those murmurs will become moot very soon.

At his best, there are not many who can rival Rahul. Tons of people have said it in the past. He is, as Harsha Bhogle opined on Tuesday, a once in a generation batter if he bats that way. Maybe then, it is time for him to also accept that he is at his best in the shortest format when he is letting his hair down, not worrying about carrying too much responsibility and batting freely.

When that happens, oh, he is a sight to behold. More importantly, he can raise the bar when you feel you have his ceiling figured out. Not many are blessed with that sort of ability. Not many are KL Rahul.