Former India opener Wasim Jaffer said that wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul’s natural batting talent is at par with Virat Kohli. Speaking during a television show, the cricketer turned commentator said that not all naturally talented players can achieve long and successful international careers.
Rahul made his international debut in 2014 during the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The wicketkeeper batsman has played 238 matches for Team India across all formats. His performance in the recent ODI series against England was disappointing and he could only score 1 and 12 runs in the two innings.
Wasim Jaffer says KL Rahul has talent equal to Virat Kohli
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Wasim Jaffer said that KL Rahul has the technique and ability to succeed in all three formats. However, he believes that Rahul has not achieved as much as his talent deserved and feels that he could have scored many more runs.
“KL is a top-class player who plays remarkably well in all three formats. Technically sound, composed and level-headed. Although he is still playing actively, I believe he has underachieved to some extent given his skill set.”
“He can score a lot of runs for both India and his franchise. In terms of pure talent and quality, I truly believe he is at par with Virat Kohli, but it is Virat’s specific mindset that creates the ultimate separation between KL and Virat.”
Wasim Jaffer remembers Chris Gayle’s professionalism at Punjab Kings
Wasim Jaffer also talked about his experience of working with Chris Gayle in Punjab Kings. Jaffer said Gayle used the snub at the auction as motivation to prove his critics wrong. He added that Gayle responded with another excellent IPL season for Punjab.
“When we worked with Chris Gayle, we could see how much pride he had in his game. Before Punjab picked him, he had played for RCB for a very long time, and then came an auction where nobody picked him initially until Punjab came in the final round.”
“For a player of his stature, I think being picked in the final round hurt his ego a bit. But he took advantage of it and scored 500 to 600 runs for Punjab that season. Behind that super chilled-out personality, he was a complete professional who knew there was money riding on him and he had to perform well.”
Before joining Punjab, Gayle enjoyed a successful IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, he remained unsold for most of the auction before Punjab signed him in the final round.
Virat Kohli vs KL Rahul: International Career Comparison
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have been sharing the Indian dressing room for over a decade. Both are among India’s most talented batsmen, but their careers have taken different paths. Rahul has earned praise for his brilliant batting and versatility, while Kohli has been a consistent performer across all formats.
Kohli made his international debut six years before Rahul and went on to have one of the greatest careers in cricket. He has scored over 28,000 international runs at an average above 52 across all formats, including 85 centuries.
Rahul has scored almost 10,000 runs and 22 centuries in 238 matches. However, injuries and inconsistent form have prevented him from matching the figures expected from a batsman of his talent.
Former India captain Kris Srikkanth criticized head coach Gautam Gambhir after the 2-1 ODI series loss to England. KL Rahul came during the 45th over and scored 12 runs in eight balls while chasing the target of 388 runs.