ENG vs IND: Virender Sehwag praises KL Rahul's shot selection after his comeback knock

KL Rahul had a horrible run during India’s tour of England in 2018. However, on that tour, it was his last innings that showed his true class. There he had scored 149 runs at the Oval in the fourth innings of the final Test. He started his 2021 tour of England in fine style but between those two knocks, Rahul’s Test career had taken a dip. 

He had been dropped from the Indian Test team after the 2018-19 tour of Australia. He appeared briefly in the team after the 2019 World Cup but a lack of runs saw him sit out yet again. Due to injuries to seasoned openers, Rahul got an opportunity and made a resounding comeback in the whites. Former India opener Virender Sehwag praised his shot selection during his comeback innings. 

Sehwag explained that there are two ways in which a player can make a comeback. One of them is by applying the Rahul Dravid style of batting while the other one is the Sehwag style of batting, which is being aggressive. Rahul made 84 runs from 214 balls in the first innings and his effort was almost pitch-perfect given the conditions in Trent Bridge in Nottingham. 

If your shot selection is good, the performance will surely happen: Virender Sehwag

“There are two types of mindset, you can make a comeback either in Rahul Dravid style, where you don’t play a shot at all and become extremely defensive, or you play aggressively in Sehwag style. Both are difficult, so you have to find your own way which is best for you,” Sehwag said during the discussion on Sony Sports. 

Sehwag further highlighted that Virat Kohli is a fine player because his shot selection is good. The former batsman believes that is one thing that KL Rahul has improved on. “He said a very good thing that the improvement was caused by his shot selection. It is the most important thing, if your shot selection is good, the performance will surely happen. Virat Kohli is so consistent because his shot selection is very good. He knows which shots he can play and which he can’t. He sticks to that even after scoring a century,” Sehwag said. 

Sehwag noted that Rahul played every shot depending on how the ball was bowled. He said that the Karnataka batter was not trying to be too aggressive which worked in his favor. Rahul came into the Test after a century in the warm-up match. He also scored a quick 26 runs in the second innings to set up the run-chase. Unfortunately, he looked set but got a peach of a delivery and got out.