IND vs ENG 1st Test: KL Rahul the monk in an old bottle finds calm, grit and focus to anchor India in chaos

Over the last few years, he has put in the work and done the hard yards. He has become India’s rock in Test cricket, and he has done it his way.

If India’s players were represented by everyday objects, KL Rahul’s would probably be the yo-yo. He has been moved up and down the order. He has sometimes been the designated wicketkeeper. He hasn’t always had the rope that his skills might command. On the other hand, he sometimes hasn’t produced the results that his skills would make you expect, either.

But over the past couple of years, Rahul seems to have found a new serenity about his game. It’s almost as if the chaos of his career has lent a one-pointed focus to his batting. The most telling sign of how his batting has evolved was, ironically, Rahul’s disgusted reaction when he got out in the first innings of India’s first Test against England. In friendly batting conditions, a century was there for the taking. Rahul was purring along nicely too, until he nicked a drive to the slips.

But perhaps true to how his career has gone, he reached the three-figure mark when batting conditions were far tougher, in India’s second innings. While Rishabh Pant did Rishabh Pant things, Rahul provided the foundation on which the Pant skyscraper could be built. Together, they drove India to 364 all out, setting England a target of 371 in the Headingley Test.

“I’m very sure of my game and my preparation, and what I need to do,” Rahul explained after play on Day 4. “When I played the India A match too [where he hit 116 and 51], I came with a set idea of how I want to bat in England and play in this series. The preparation was also geared to that. I will stick to what I do, calmness. I think usually I have it.

“Last evening, the runs came easily. This morning it was a bit different. In the first session, it felt like the England series had started for real because the ball was moving. Off the wicket, there was seam movement, and they bowled really well. So I had to play tight, defensive cricket.

“I enjoy my game. Obviously, I enjoy watching Rishabh’s game too, but in Test cricket, I don’t think I can play like that! And I won’t even think about doing that. I’ll let Rishabh play his game and just admire his shots and his bravery… the kind of shots he plays — stepping out and hitting on your first or second ball — it takes a lot of guts and courage! So I just stand there and admire. And I stay in my game and my zone.”

The rock in India’s Test innings

With Cheteshwar Pujara no longer part of the Test team, it is Rahul who has provided the sort of stability Pujara once offered. Rahul is the one who does the most to wear the shine off the new ball. He has turned leaving the ball into an art form. He has shown the patience of a Himalayan monk and, by staying at the crease as long as he does, he has done plenty to blunt the new ball’s sting.

Since India’s last tour of England in 2021 — the one that brought Rahul back into the XI, he has faced more balls per innings than even Pujara. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal has faced more.

Indian batters in Test cricket since 4 August 2021

The preparation that finally led to results

As the numbers in the table show, Rahul was putting in the time and hard yards. The results didn’t always follow, which is how Test cricket works.

“The sooner you learn that there is no connection with the outcome and the results you get, the calmer you can be,” Rahul reflected. “That's something that I've consciously done as well… it's something that I've understood and try to apply, not just in Test cricket, but in cricket overall. All you can do is your best in terms of preparation and give yourself the best chance to succeed.”

In recent years, despite all the ups and downs – at one point, Rahul even joked, “I mean, in the last couple of years, I've forgotten what my position is and what I'm comfortable doing” – he has stayed focused. He’s put in the preparation and given himself every chance to succeed.

When the results finally follow – as they did with his second-innings 137 – they feel all the sweeter.