Matthew Hayden highlights KL Rahul's challenge ahead of Perth Test

NEW DELHI: The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy will mark KL Rahul ’s third tour of Australia. He was part of India’s 2014 tour under Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the 2018 tour under Virat Kohli's captaincy. Despite his talent, Rahul has struggled in Australian conditions, managing just one century, which came in Sydney during the 2014 series.

In total, Rahul has played five Tests in Australia and has scored just 187 runs at an average of 20.77. His form has been under scrutiny, especially after a disappointing home series against New Zealand, where he managed scores of 0 and 12. Despite playing one Test at his home ground in Bengaluru, he was dropped for the remaining two matches due to his poor performance with the bat.

Rahul’s struggles continued in the Unofficial Test against Australia A ahead of the five-match series, where he managed just 4 and 10 in the two innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Middle-Order Batter? Opener? Still No Fixed Slot For KL Rahul in India Set-Up

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has offered valuable advice to the Karnataka batter as he prepares for the crucial series.

"Look, my advice, not just to KL Rahul but to all batters in this series, is that no one needs to rush in a Test match. Batting conditions are often favorable through to day three, but we rarely see Test matches in this country extending to the fifth day—unless weather becomes a factor. I think the key is to bat time. When we think of great partnerships, the Dravid-Laxman stand in Adelaide comes to mind. That partnership was built over a long period, and Dravid recently spoke about it. At the time, India was chasing a mammoth first-innings total from Australia, well over 500. Dravid and Laxman complemented each other and batted for an extraordinary duration. This aspect—constructing partnerships—is crucial for both teams, not just for the Indian cricket team," says Hyden during a select media interaction organised by Channel 7.

"KL Rahul is undoubtedly a beautiful stroke player. Expecting him to suddenly adopt a completely different style, like turning into a Usman Khawaja, would be like asking Travis Head to play like someone he’s not. Every batter has a unique approach to the game. My number one piece of advice for any batter in the Test arena is to play their own game. But first, you need to know your game. That might be KL Rahul’s challenge—having so many options as a stroke player can sometimes work against him. He needs to focus on the basic principle of batting for windows of time," adds Hayden.

'KL Rahul is going to unleash himself in the next three to five years'

The former cricketer further explained why batting in the middle-order, against the older ball, could favour Rahul more.

"If Rahul is slated to bat in the middle order, he might find conditions more favourable with the new ball being slightly older. That could allow him to express himself better than when facing the new ball as an opener. It's a very exciting summer ahead; there's no doubt about it," he said.

The much-anticipated clash begins with the opening Test on November 22 in Perth .

India previously secured back-to-back series wins in Australia, first under Virat Kohli's leadership in 2018-19 and then with Ajinkya Rahane at the helm in 2020-21.