KL Rahul will open the innings for India along with Rohit Sharma at the upcoming T20 World Cup. Since the last couple of editions of IPL, Rahul has been heavily criticised for his 'Intent' in the middle overs. The flak also spilt over into international cricket.
Does KL Rahul have a middle-overs problem? Let's look at his numbers in the shortest format of the game. The below analysis has taken into consideration all the T20 games and isn't just restricted to international numbers.
KL Rahul - Numbers in Powerplay
KL Rahul is no Gayle, Rohit, or McCullum in the Powerplay. He likes to build his innings and get set. Rahul has faced 2048 balls in the Powerplay and has scored 2632 runs at a strike rate of 128.51. Out of the total balls faced, 890 have been dots. He has hit 279 boundaries and 102 sixes.
It means that 43% of the balls faced by Rahul in the Powerplay have yielded no runs. He sends 18.6% of the balls faced to the boundary rope.
KL Rahul in Middle Overs - The Numbers Game
Rahul has been present in T20 games from the 7th to the 16th over 109 times. He has faced 1969 balls and has scored 2714 runs. Out of the 1969 balls - 495 have been dots, 1039 have been ones, and 146 have been twos. He has been dismissed 65 times and has an average of 41.75 at a strike rate of 137.83. He has hit 171 boundaries and 115 sixes.
Rahul's Middle Overs Numbers
The dot ball percentage in the middle overs for Rahul fall down to 25%. His boundary percentage too falls to just 14% vs 18.65 in the Powerplay - the reason fans, and experts question his intent during the middle overs.
Also Read: Virat Kohli vs Dinesh Karthik - Who's better in Death Overs?
Judging by the numbers, Rahul likes to rotate the strike during middle overs. His strike rate is in the late 130s, as he does manage to eke out a boundary here and there.
But the problem arises when he gets out before the death overs. The fact that he has only been present 42 times during the last four overs is a testament to the theory that Rahul isn't there after his run-a-ball innings or an innings with a strike rate in the late 130s.
Although he does have a strike rate of 196.43 in the last four overs, Rahul, more often than not, finds himself back in the hut before the death overs.
The Bottom Line
Rahul's middle-overs problem isn't a big concern. But, a problem would arise if he is present with the same kind of batters during this phase. If he is accompanied by the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, who plays with a strike rate of 174.23 during the middle-overs for India, the team would benefit from the kind of stability and assurance he brings.
But if he plays in the same manner with someone like Virat Kohli, who has a strike rate of 133.84 in T20Is, Team India, more often than not, would find themselves some runs short of their desired target.
