‘His average should be 50-55′: KL Rahul gets ‘major improvement’ challenge from Harbhajan Singh

Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh has demanded a massive scope of improvement from KL Rahul in a specific department after his 84-run knock against Australia in the third Test match. Rahul was the standout performer with the bat for India in the first innings as he stood tall against all odds when wickets were falling from the other end. He was dropped early on Day 4 by Steve Smith at slip, but he took advantage of it and played a fine knock before Nathan Lyon stopped him from making a century.

Harbhajan, who is doing commentating in the series, lavished praise on Rahul but said that he needs to increase his average which is 34.54 at present.

“It should happen, considering the ability he has. He is a proper batter. His technique is excellent and he has the game for Test cricket. He knows how to leave the ball and has all types of shots. He plays spin and fast bowling well. He plays the short ball well, but I want to see an increase of 20-25 in his average,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.

The Indian opener has scored a couple of half-centuries in this series and looked the most technically sound Indian batter on Australian solid from this squad.

Harbhajan spoke highly of Rahul’s calibre and said his average should be over 50, but his career’s ups and downs and a few injuries have let him down.

“Considering his stature and the kind of player he is, his average should be around 50-55. I see a massive scope of improvement from here. He has had an up-and-down career. He has been in and out of the team and couldn’t play cricket for a long time due to injury,” Harbhajan observed.

Harbhajan Singh wants KL Rahul to continue as opener in Tests

The veteran spinner has advised the Indian management to stick with Rahul at the top of the order.

“I hope he is less injured now and plays continuous cricket. This slot is good for him. He opens and likes to play balls. He plays long innings. We expect his graph to keep moving upwards and when we talk about KL Rahul after five years, it will be enjoyable if the average is 50-55,” he stated.