India vs England: Zaheer Khan compares KL Rahul with Rahul Dravid

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan has likened batsman
KL Rahul with ex-skipper Rahul Dravid, saying apart from their names and same
city of origin he sees many other similarities. Zaheer, who played for India from
2000 to 2014, lauded the 29-year-old for his superb 214-ball 84-run knock in
the first innings of India’s opening Test against England and said he can see a
lot of similarities between the two Rahuls.

“That Rahul also held the wicketkeeping
gloves for the team and this Rahul did the same as well. It could either be the
Bangalore connection or the connection of their names but he’s very talented
too,” Khan said on Cricbuzz.

“Rahul Dravid has done so much for India
that this show won’t suffice to talk about it. But yes, seeing such a role
model who has done so much for the team compared to him and seeing that he’s
being looked at with the same eyes, KL Rahul would be very happy,” he added.

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Rahul is an indispensable asset to the team
in the limited-overs format but has been in-and-out of the Test side due to
fluctuating form. He last played a Test in August, 2019. He was included in the
squad for the first Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham because of a last-minute injury
to fellow Karnataka batsman Mayank Agarwal, who was himself replacing an
injured Shubman Gill in the squad.

Prior to the match, there was a lot of buzz
surrounding the opening position, given there are a few contenders for the spot
alongside Rohit Sharma, including Prithvi Shaw and Abhimanyu Easwaran. The team
management chose to go with Rahul and he duly responded with a critical innings
that ensured India established a precious 95-run lead over the hosts in the
first innings.

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“KL Rahul will be talked about a lot
throughout this series. The way he has utilized the opportunity, the
application he has shown, the way he’s leaving balls and even some of the cover
drives he has played, the head position and the perfect lean, he surely
deserves praise,” Zaheer added.