“I forgot what my real position is”
Kl Rahul did not move when he said it during a press conference after today’s 4 Headingley test against England.
No trace of complaints, no bitterness in tone – just a silent acceptance of what has happened to the topic of his testing career. Over the years, Rahul has moved, moved, benching, memoally and moved several times than most crickets would last without protest. But Rahul is not most crickets.
ENG VS Ind 1. Testing Day 4 The most important
He became an Indian man for uncomfortable, unstable and uncertain. The temporary opener HERE, stopping the middle order-in five different positions in the test cricket and kept gloves if necessary. And yet whenever he goes to the field, there is only one thing on his mind: do a job. Representation of India. Let it count.
And in Headingley did it. Headingley was the moment-to the years of selfless service, supplied in the format that he loves most.
Rahul lasts a storm early
Indian Day 4. Day in Headingley did not start the celebration-it started by banging. SHUBMAN GILL, the first shift and a new test captain in India, was gone in the first over. England had a new ball, the crowd found its voice and the playground started playing tricks.
But Kl Rahul, who has already opened with Yashsvi Jaiswal, knew that a moment needed more than just a technique. It needed peace. Peace. Responsibility. Rahul, as he did many times before, assumed that the burden without being asked.
When Rishabh pants lit up at the other end with a typical taste, Rahul became anchor. Its 137 was not loud, but it was deeply authoritative. Centuries built brick-leaving outdoors with discipline, hung with soft hands and when offering they threw themselves in width. His 195-run partnership with Pant was an Indian heart rhythm. And despite all this, Rahul held the shape of the shift.
This was his third century in England by the Indian opener on English soil. More than statistics it was verification. Of the many roles he was asked to play, this – open on the temporary test side – most of the home.
Face to face with stokes without cracks
What made Rahul’s shifts even more remarkable was how the most dangerous weapon of England: Ben Stokes negotiated.
The English captain already raised four goals in the first shifts and on 4th day began to find the rhythm again. He came in hard testing of Rahul with ejectors, a gentle movement of the seam and a constant change of angles. His return swing threatened and he was cleverly working on the fold and tried to break Rahul’s rhythm.
But Rahul did not bite. He left with accuracy, overthrew himself with certainty and played Stokes like a dough that knew the danger, but was not rattling it. When Stokes exaggerated, Rahul responded to class-but, especially through envelopes, from where he raised 29 runs in typical elegance. There was no panic. Just calm.
He did not win the battle with Stokes through aggression. He won it with understanding. Kl Rahul impressed with a special click in Leeds (Reuters agency)
When cricket red ball means everything
Kl Rahul was never ashamed of the most expensive format. When he spoke to Nasser Hussain during the Sky Sports interview, he said it simply:
“I love cricket red ball. You can’t take it away.”
And it shows.
In white there is another version of KL Rahul. His movements are quieter. Its pace slower. His body language more reflecting. You can almost feel affection for creating shifts-to-hurry, never silent, always intentional.
In Headingley, this love was reflected in the branding championship. The way he left the supplies outdoors, soft hands in the defense, the prudently Tahouteplay-all reflected the players in peace with the rhythm of the test cricket.
Filling the gaps that became a glue
Rahul’s versatility was often a double -edged sword. Although it is necessary for team balance, he also robbed him of long -term ownership of one role. From No. 6 against Bangladesh to No. 4 in the absence of Kohli, from the temporary goalkeeper to the emergency opener-he did everything. And quietly.
But now, with the test side of India entering the era after kohli-rosnit and Rahul plays his first test under the captain of SHUBMAN GILLAHis role seems to be even more valuable. His performance as an opener, especially in overseas conditions, speaks of volumes. Eight of his nine testing centuries reached the top of the order. Five of them in hay countries. And only in England, its average as an opener now stands on an impressive 43.11.
The gaps did not fill. He became an adhesive.
Calm in the noisy cricket world
At a time when the cartoon careers are defined by brands, coils and noise, Kl Rahul chose something else: silence and fabric.
His knocking on Headingley wasn’t just another hundred. It was a statement. Re -confirmation that in this new phase of the Indian cricket its presence offers something rare stability. Do you need an opener? Is there. Do you need a temporary middle order anchor? He takes it. Do you need a goal? He’ll do it too.
Now, as the new order of the Indian test cricket finds its rhythm, Rahul’s presence feels indispensable-not just because it is in shape, but because it understands the value of the place of earned.
Because when it comes to being difficult, Rahul doesn’t ask why.
She just asks, “Where should I bat?”
And then it responds with running.
– ends
Published:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
June 24, 2025
