KL Rahul all but confirmed as opener for India vs England Tests, partners Yashasvi Jaiswal in India ‘A’ game

KL Rahul has 2 Test centuries in England and will partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order.

KL Rahul is all set to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal in the upcoming India vs England Test series. Rahul is one of the senior batters in the India squad and opened on his last tour to England. The veteran had formed a strong partnership with Rohit Sharma in the 2021 series and will hope to replicate the same with Jaiswal in the 5 Test series starting in Headingley.

KL Rahul opens for India ‘A’ in second unofficial Test

KL Rahul got his Test career back on track on his last tour to England, opening the batting, and he is all set to don that position this time as well. Rohit Sharma’s retirement has left a gaping hole at the top of the order, and Rahul will be tasked with filling it. The 32-year-old opened in Australia when Rohit missed a couple of Tests.

In a bid to prepare for the series, Rahul flew to the UK ahead of the rest of the team and joined up with the India ‘A’ squad. While he did not feature in the first official test, Rahul featured in the second. He opened the batting with Jaiswal in Northampton.

Rahul’s experience in English conditions will be a huge plus to the Indian side. The Karnataka star showed great adaptability in the 2021 tour, scoring 315 runs at an average of 39.37. Rahul displayed awareness of his off-stump and batted for long periods, helping ease the conditions for others. Other than Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant, Rahul is the only other batter in the team to have scored a century in England.

How has Rahul fared as an opener in Test cricket?

KL Rahul began his career as an opener before diving into the middle order over the last couple of years. While not a prolific run-getter, Rahul’s best batting has come facing the new ball. He averages 35 while facing the new ball, and only one of his 8 hundreds came batting lower down the order. Rahul’s 7 Test hundreds away from home testify to his ability to adapt to conditions and get India off to a good start.