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'He's got more ability than Kohli, Rohit': Gautam Gambhir claims KL Rahul has 'more shots than anyone else in India'
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir reckons Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul has perhaps got more ability with the bat than Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and India and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir reckons Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul has perhaps got more ability with the bat than Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and India and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli. Gambhir's comments came after Rahul smashed an unbeaten 98 to help PBKS thrash Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in an IPL 2021 match on Thursday.
“If you can bat like this, why don’t you bat like this? He probably has more ability than Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. I am not saying it just because I have seen KL Rahul doing it today, he just has it. He has got more shots than anyone else in India. And he showed that again,” Gambhir said on ESPNCricinfo.
Chasing 135 for victory, the Punjab team stormed to victory in 13 overs as the CSK skipper MS Dhoni could not find answers to stop Rahul's onslaught. Skipper Rahul was on the attack from the word go, launching into the CSK bowlers. The stylish right-hander clobbered eight sixes to go with seven boundaries and finished it in style with a big six off Shardul Thakur.
The Punjab skipper had been panned for his approach in some of the earlier matches where he dragged the game deep but Punjab Kings failed to finish on the winning side. Rahul's strike-rate had been criticised often during this edition but finally the flair was back in his batting. Alas, it came when the horse bolted the door.
Gambhir feels Rahul should let the world know what he can do with the bat in hand. The former KKR skipper said PBKS perhaps ensured qualification if Rahul had batted in the entire tournament like the way he did against CSK.
"Just go play, man. Let the world cherish, not only India. Show this world your ability. When people talk about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, they will probably talk about you. Because you have got many more shots compared to anyone else in India," Gambhir said.
"Had he played like this, Punjab Kings would’ve qualified by now. It is probably the pressure of captaincy, I don’t know what it is, but the team management can answer."
