Kannaur Lokesh Rahul , an elegant modern day opener who can keep wickets as well ,looks rock solid with his defence ,and looks even more attractive when he takes on the bowlers.He was looked as one of the future prospects of Indian team after his decent show at U-19 WC in 2010.He had a great outing in 2013-14 Ranji season ,scoring a tally of 1033 runs at an impressive average .This earned him a test call to the Indian team.Due to Dhawan's form slump ,he got promoted as an opener in his debut series.He proved his worth in his second test which turned out to be a indelible one for him against a stellar pace attack of Starc,Hazlewood and Harris at a seaming Sydney wicket.He was batting at the back of two failures ,which could have easily got to his head. But he composed his innings to perfection for a well compiled century. He has a easy to go stance,with a steady head popping towards the bowler,which allows him to watch the ball till the last moment.
Watch : KLRahul at Nets
Always looked for an option in the longer format of the game,he hit the headlines with a strong performance in IPL2016. Under Virat's captaincy he groomed very well as an attacking batsman . By scoring at an average of 45 with a healthy strike rate of 147, he played a major role in his franchise's successful campaign in IPL 2016. These performances allowed him to make it to the limited over format,where he got immediate success by scoring his maiden century against Zimbabwe in his debut.Also he helped India to nearly cross the line in a T20 in Florida with a brisk 100 of just 47 balls,with his side failing to win by just a run,on what could have been a record breaking chase against WI.His averages of 41,55 and 56 in Tests,ODIs and T20 respectively boasts the volume of talent he possesses.He is only the third Indian player after Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma to score 100s in all the three formats of International Cricket. He has got almost all the proper cricketing shots in his text book as well as modern day scoops,reverse sweeps in his arsenal and above all ,utilizes them well to his comforts.
But as in case of every player,he has his own negatives too.The major issue with Rahul is his fitness.He is an injury prone cricketer. With his ability to bat for hours,it is keen that he has his eye over his fitness. Also looked as an option for succeeding MS Dhoni in limited circuit for his keeping abilities,its important for him to improve his fitness. Furthermore , the problem with him is that, he looks unsettles at his early stages of the innings.His tendency to play loose drives at the start of the innings makes him a nervous starter. He should work on it before the opponents gets the better of him .
In a nutshell he is one of the few flamboyant batsmen in this era and a complete package for all the three formats,provided he works on his fitness levels .He has everything within him to provide the solidity to the team the at the top if he poises his nerves at the start of the innings.
KL Rahul's stats reads as follows:
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Tests | 15 | 25 | 1022 | 199 | 40.88 | 4 | 4 |
| ODIs | 6 | 6 | 220 | 100* | 55 | 1 | 1 |
| T20Is | 8 | 7 | 280 | 110* | 56 | 1 | 1 |
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