He’s got me a couple of times: Jofra Archer picks KL Rahul as toughest T20 batsman he’s bowled to

Rahul took on Archer in the 38th match if the 2018 IPL when the batsman’s unbeaten 84 off 54 balls saw KIXIP through

England pacer Jofra Archer has picked KL Rahul as the toughest T20 batsman he’s had to bowl to. Archer’s comments perhaps stem from the fact that he went head-to-head with the opening batsman in the last couple of season of the IPL, where playing for Kings XI Punjab, Rahul amassed 659 and 593 runs in 2018 and 2018 respectively. In fact, last year, Rahul was the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, with one hundred and six half-centuries.

KL Rahul carves one through the offside (BCCI)

“Obviously KL. He got me a couple of times playing for Kings XI Punjab. So definitely I’ll go with him,” Archer told his Rajasthan Royals teammate Ish Sodhi during a live chat, a clip of which was uploaded by the Royals. “If I can put my finger on someone, it’s just been him and knowingly, he’s probably got the better of me most of the time.

Rahul took on Archer in the 38th match if the 2018 IPL when the batsman’s unbeaten 84 off 54 balls saw KIXIP through. Rahul cracked Archer for two sixes and three boundaries during his knock, including the final over, in which Rahul finished the game, guiding KXIP to a six-wicket win with eight balls to spare. From 18 off 15 in the Powerplay, to scoring 24 of 24 in the middle overs, Rahul accelerated swiftly towards the end and walloped 42 off just 15.

“He’s a good player. He really played well against us in New Zealand, taking advantage of the small grounds,” Sodhi quipped.