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Former England cricketer Owais Shah believes that Indian opener KL Rahul didn’t get much attention until Virat Kohli stepped away from Test cricket. Kohli announced his retirement through an Instagram post on his account in May 2025, ahead of the squad announcement for the England tour.
"I think he's been in the shadow of Kohli. With Kohli at the crease, he was always going to be your main batsman and Rahul was under the radar. But this is his time to flourish. This is the first series without Virat Kohli. Look at the batting order, yes Shubman Gill has done really well, I wasn't expecting it. I did not think he had it in him to do what he's done so far," he expressed his opinion on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.
"But I still feel KL Rahul is the best batsman in the batting line-up who you should be able to rely on. And it is time for him to deliver the sort of numbers his technique and temperament promise. I feel KL, over 10-15 matches, may just outscore Shubman Gill. I think we will see him really come about in the next 12 months," he added.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who was also present in that podcast said that Rahul has improved drastically. Rashid is impressed with the impact Rahul has had in the series, especially in the absence of senior players. He hopes that the opener leaves his mark since the spotlight is not on star batters.
The Indian opener has scored 375 runs from six innings so far on this tour. He averages 62.50 with two centuries and a half-century to his name.
Shah hails Jadeja
Meanwhile, Shah believes that either Jadeja or Rishabh Pant could have drifted the game away from England in the third Test. However, the duo did not get enough support from other batters.
"He (Jadeja) got a couple of fifties in this game and four back-to-back in the series. The way I saw the game last night, the only two guys who may spoil the English party could have been Rishabh Pant or Ravindra Jadeja. They both have the ability to get in, score quick runs, and take fielders on. Six-hitting is not an issue for them. If one of them comes off, all you've got to do is bat around them, India should and might be favorites. I know Jadeja got some runs, he didn't look like getting out. It just felt like everybody else couldn't quite give them the support," he said.
Shah further added that the Jadeja may not have been as effective with the ball so far in the series, but has proved his mettle with the bat by scoring 327 runs from six innings.
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