Australia batsman Steve Smith named the Indian player who impressed him the most. The former Australian captain had a Q and A session on Instagram where he answered fans' questions. Smith, who is considered as one of the best batsmen of modern-day cricket, took KL Rahul's name when a fan asked him: "Which Indian player impressed you most?"
Rahul is considered as the next big thing in Indian cricket and he was going through a golden patch before cricket stopped due to coronavirus outbreak. Rahul scored 224 runs in the series against New Zealand in the five-match T20I series earlier this year. It is the most by an Indian in a bilateral T20I series, surpassing Kohli's tally of 199 against Australia in a three-match series in 2018. (Also Read | Steve Smith opines on Kohli, Dhoni, Babar; picks IPL as best tournament he has played in)
Steve Smith names the Indian player who impressed him the most
Rahul's plethora of runs continued in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand where he slammed an unbeaten 88 in the first match. That innings was one of a kind as the top-order was back in hut early and he shared 136-run stand alongside Shreyas Iyer. While, in the third and the final ODI, Rahul unleashed himself upon Kiwi bowlers and slammed 112 runs in 113 balls, his first-century batting at No 5. (Also Read | Never dreamt of getting hundred in my ODI debut: KL Rahul)
Earlier, England's premium fast bowler Jofra Archer picked Rahul's name as the toughest batsman he has bowled to in T20 cricket.
Archer recalled the 2019 edition of Indian Premier League and said Rahul got the better of him last time.
"Obviously, KL Rahul. He has got me a couple of times when we played Kings XI Punjab. So, I would definitely go with him. I cannot really put my finger on another one. It's just him who has probably got the better of me most of the times," Archer told Ish Sodhi during an episode of the Royals Podcast
Rahul was in sublime form in 2019 IPL as he was the second-highest run-scorer of the season with 593 runs in 14 games for Kings XI Punjab. He was also named the captain of the franchise after Ravichandran Ashwin's departure from the team.
