India have dominated England to an extent in the currently ongoing series on English soil, though they are currently behind the hosts with a 2-1 margin.
However, the two pillars of India’s great batting performances in England have been KL Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill.
Though young Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja have also made several crucial contributions, with Jadeja showing some remarkable consistency as well. Currently, Shubman Gill is the highest run-getter for India in the series as well as the WTC 2025-27 cycle, while KL Rahul sits in the fourth position on both lists.
The two experienced batters for India have contributed largely to the success of India, but former English batter Owais Shah recently made a wild prediction of Rahul surpassing Gill by the end of the England series.
KL Rahul is the ideal choice to fill Virat Kohli’s void
So far in the series, Rahul has amassed 375 runs with 2 centuries and a half-century as well. However, Shubman Gill, the newly appointed skipper for India, has set the series ablaze with a double century and two more centuries, as he has piled 607 runs in 3 matches.
Owais Shah has patted the shoulders of both the batters, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill; however, he also made an honest revelation that he did not expect Gill to be as phenomenal as he has been in the series so far.
“I think he’s been in the shadow of Kohli. With Kohli at the crease, he was always going to be your main batsman, and Rahul was under the radar. But this is his time to flourish. This is the first series without Virat Kohli,” Owais Shah picked Rahul as the substitute for Kohli on Beard Before Wicket Podcast.
Ex-English batter backs KL Rahul over Shubman Gill
“Look at the batting order, yes Shubman Gill has done really well, I wasn’t expecting it. I did not think he had it in him to do what he’s done so far,” added Shah,
“But I still feel KL Rahul is the best batsman in the batting line-up who you should be able to rely on. And it is time for him to deliver the sort of numbers his technique and temperament promise. I feel KL, over 10-15 matches, may just outscore Shubman Gill. I think we will see him really come about in the next 12 months,” said Shah.
Probably, this remark comes on the back of KL Rahul scoring runs under tougher conditions, while Gill has managed most of his runs under flatter tracks and helpful conditions.
KL Rahul – India’s brightest star in SENA
The Indian opener is one of the team’s best performers over the years in the Indian team, who has always played a crucial part in India’s batting order in SENA Tests.
The matches played in South Africa, England, and Australia have brought the best out of Rahul. Though he is yet to feature in New Zealand, the batter has scored 7 of his 9 overseas centuries in SENA Tests.
The batter became only the second Indian batter after Dilip Vengsarkar to feature twice on the Lord’s honours board for having scored two hundreds at the iconic venue.