File photo of Punjab Kings batting coach Wasim Jaffer (left) with captain KL Rahul.
KL Rahul had a ball last season when the star Indian batsman took charge as the captain of the Kings XI Punjab (rechristened to Punjab Kings). The franchise finished a lowly fifth on the table but Rahul went on a scoring spree, along with Mayank Agarwal up the order, amassing as much as 670 runs in 14 games.
However, the batsmen, who resorted to a sheet anchor role for the side, often couldn't score at a quick pace and had a strike rate of 129.35; making many question if he's scoring as quickly as needed in the format.
Kings' batting coach Wasim Jaffer admitted that the skipper was timid last season with expert pinch hitters down the order and will be a much more aggresive batsman this time around.
“KL batted a little timidly last season. He probably batted deeper because there was not much batting after No. 5, and Glenn Maxwell was not firing. He took that responsibility on himself to try and stay at the crease and get the job done. This time around, everyone will see an aggressive KL Rahul for sure,” Jaffer said.
Rahul failed to be among the runs in the recently-concluded India vs England T20 series but Jaffer said there's nothing to worry as far as the form of their skipper is concerned.
"It can happen to any player. The more games he played, the better he became. Yes, he had a poor T20 series, but it did not make him a bad batsman. He has scored centuries in all three formats and knows his game better than anyone else. In the ODIs, he showed why he is such a special player," said Jaffer.
