Virat Kohli vacated his spot as India captain and since then Saba Karim, the former Chief Selector of India, has made KL Rahul his choice as the perfect person to fill that void on the England tour. The new retirement of Kohli left vacuous spaces that the team needed to score. Though it is common knowledge that captain Shubman Gill is bound to address it at number four, Karim argues that KL Rahul would be the best guy to do it. Resting on the experience gained by Rahul, Karim is sure that the right-hand hitter will be able to serve both goals: to minimize the loss of the start of the game and to take the innings.

Saba Karim’s Statement

“Well, in the absence of Kohli, Rahul’s role is monumental. And I look at him, as a batter who can bat a number four. Many people have suggested different batting positions, but I feel that KL is ideal to replace or take over, the role of Virat Kohli at number four, because that number four, he can play a dual role of negotiating the early setback if that happens in the Indian side, and then he can carry the innings forward. He does have the right kind of technique. He has done well in England,” Karim told NDTV.

“He has a temperament. And I think with the past season, season and a half, there is a lot of maturity that has come in. So I think that’s the kind of responsibility with Indian team management,” he added.

KL Rahul’s Test Cricket Stats

In the Test, K. L. Rahul has played 58 matches scoring 3,257 runs in it. His best score is 199 and he has an average of 33.57 in terms of batting. Rahul with his caliber in composure and flexibility has also notched eight tons and seventeen half-tons in the longest code. His strike rate of 52.80 indicates the mixture of both patience and quickness to speed up when needing so. Rahul has played an important role in the top-order of Indian batters over the years and has even provided the much needed stability against good bowling attacks. His numbers prove him to be a good reliable Test cricketer.