BGT: Controlled aggression, finding joy in batting for long brings KL Rahul big runs

New Delhi: A ten-year work anniversary in the corporate world warrants a major celebration. The path of completing ten years in a career involves a multitude of dealing with tales of struggles and feeling the joy of victories coming through sheer perseverance and grit.

When Thursday arrives, KL Rahul will be celebrating a ten-year work anniversary of his kind, but on the field when the against Australia begins at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground, the same place where he made his debut as Test cap no. 284 in 2014.

Most people feel settled in their careers after ten years, but Rahul’s a different story. His Test career has travelled a wide musical range – from hitting high notes to being at low notes, while being inconsistent in between.

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The stats back this up: 56 matches, 3216 runs, and a 34.58 average—figures frequently cited on social media, especially when he doesn’t score big runs. Previously, Rahul’s continued presence in the Test team baffled fans, despite changes in captain, coach, and selection panels.

Yet, what makes Rahul a useful Test player is his success in overseas matches and his ability to adapt to any situation. Seven of his eight Test hundreds have come outside India. Six of them came outside Asia, and three of them came in a winning cause.

First-choice opener injured and want someone? Get Rahul in. Want a middle-order batter who can also keep if needed? Get Rahul in. Need a floater if someone from top three is unavailable? Get Rahul in. Require a captain with regular skipper injured? Get Rahul in.

Rahul’s participation in the five-match Test series in was questionable before the tour, particularly following his omission from the playing eleven after the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand. As per a source close to the cricketer, Rahul himself asked for playing the second India A game against Australia A at the MCG in a bid to acclimatise himself to the conditions on offer.

Though that didn’t go exactly as per plan, including a ball from Corey Rocchiccioli hitting the stumps after ricocheting off his pad (a proof of when bad luck and bad leave combine), Rahul’s trip to Australia since then has taken a pretty productive turn. He has been India’s top run-scorer in the series so far with 235 runs in three games at an average of 47.

At Perth, he scored 26 off 74 balls in batting conditions against a probing Australia line-up. In the second innings, when the pitch was flat, Rahul absorbed pressure to make an attractive 77, while sharing a match-winning 201-run stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Such was the impact of his solidity in Perth that Rohit Sharma, who Rahul replaced as an opener in Perth, dropped down to number six.

In rain-affected Brisbane, Rahul’s assured 84 was a testament to his solid batting and unflappable temperament, as it became one of the huge pillars behind India averting a follow-on. Discipline, controlled aggression, and shrewd judgement have been the hallmarks of Rahul’s performance, making him India’s best Test batsman on this tour and rescuing India from trouble.

Unlike the other Indian batters, Rahul, with a precise forward stride and being deep in the crease, has allowed for balls to come at him and play them right under his eyelid with soft hands and a very still head position. He has kept his bat close to the body and been impeccable in leaving a lot of deliveries outside the off-stump, thus forcing bowlers to do something different.

In this patient process of batting for time, Rahul has capitalised on loose deliveries, especially the ones with width or that are over-pitched, thus giving him the runs he’s on the lookout for. In martial arts, tennis, and K-9 training, controlled aggression is when a person is able to regulate when to be aggressive and when to be defensive.

It’s safe to say that Rahul has channelled this controlled aggression theory into his batting on the tour of Australia. Speaking to reporters after making 84 in Brisbane, Rahul stated his excellent returns have been down to tightening up his defence in first 30 overs and then capitalise on the deliveries once the Kookaburra ball’s movement has gone down.

As per statistics from Cricket-21, Rahul has played 470 balls – 346 of them have been dot balls while the rest of break-up of deliveries looks like this – 71 ones, 18 twos, 12 threes and 23 boundaries. All these statistics are the highest for any Indian batter in the series so far.

Both statistics of balls left alone and defended in this are 100-plus, again the most for any batter in the current series. The frequent shifting of Rahul’s batting order, coupled with the inexplicable long rope, has left many confused on various occasions.

But the treatment he’s received reflects India’s expectation that he will repeat his past overseas successes in Australia—a hope that’s currently being fulfilled. People in Rahul’s circle had been quietly confident of him performing well in Australia, putting it down to the sheer hardwork on his strengths and being given a reminder of that childlike joy and hunger of batting for long, which had been central to his success in agre-group cricket for Karnataka.

A further interesting element of Rahul’s tour has been his mentoring of players experiencing Australia for the first time. Jaiswal recognised how Rahul’s advice helped him stay focused during his 161 in Perth. Nitish Kumar Reddy mentioned in a video on bcci.tv how the senior batter’s guidance helped him stay calm before coming out to bat on debut.

When December 26 arrives, Indian cricket fans will be braving the intense heat at MCG, while others at home will be tuning in to watch the game on TV, using blankets to stay cozy.

However, both sets of fans would unite in showering Rahul with respect and appreciation should he succeed in India, particularly if he scores another Boxing Day century at the venue where his international career started.

The methods of success for Rahul in Australia have been old-fashioned, but good enough for him to dominate with a bit of mindful aggression, realisation of not going berserk all the time and sticking to his strengths.

It should come as no surprise if Rahul combines all those elements with a childlike joy of batting for long leads to yet another successful outing in Melbourne, mirroring the celebratory atmosphere surrounding a corporate executive’s ten-year work anniversary.

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