“He is a car with gears in an era of automatic gears” – Irfan Pathan talks about LSG captain KL Rahul ahead of IPL 2024

The former Indian all-rounder, Irfan Pathan praises KL Rahul for his batting ahead of the IPL 2024. The cricketer-turned-commentator compared the LSG captain to cars with gears as he bats effortlessly. Rahul as a batter is in top form now and is flexible enough to play at every position in the batting order. Moreover, Irfan advised the captain to bat down the order as that might help the team whenever they are in crisis.

Irfan, during a discussion on Star Sports, said, “He (Rahul) is a car with gears in an era of automatic cars. He can bat in any gear from first to fifth. He even has a sixth gear. So, considering that KL Rahul batting down the order might not be bad at all (for LSG).”

Due to a thigh injury, KL Rahul was ruled out of the IPL 2023 season and had played just nine matches. In his place, Krunal Pandya took charge of the LSG team. Under him, the team reached the eliminator of the IPL 2023, however, failed to win the match against the Mumbai Indians.

‘The team combination (playing XI) could include both..’ – Irfan Pathan talks about opening combination for LSG

Irfan Pathan feels Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers will be the best opening pair for LSG for the upcoming IPL season. As he suggested the LSG captain KL Rahul batted down the order, he also feels the side will get a good start if these two batters open the innings. Moreover, LSG also has the in-form batter Devdutt Padikkal who was traded from the Rajasthan Royals.

Irfan said, “The team combination (playing XI) could include both Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers in such a scenario. If both of them get a place, they (LSG) can go with an all-Indian pace attack.”