KL Rahul compared to 'great Mark Waugh' after his performance in 1st India vs Bangladesh Test: 'The best part was…'
KL Rahul, for his performance against Bangladesh on the field in the 1st Test, was compared to the great Mark Waugh.
The legendary Mark Waugh is one of Australia's biggest match-winners of all time. His name may not immediately come to mind whenever a list of Australia's greatest batters is drawn, often taking a backseat to the likes of Greg Chappell, Allan Border, Ricky Ponting and Steve Smith. But ask any bowler from the mid-1980s to early 2000s what it was to bowl to junior Waugh, and he'll tell you just what a menace he was for the opposition. With over 16,000 international runs, Waugh was an integral part of Australia becoming a formidable force in world cricket and even today, his contributions are viewed as an asset that paved the way for the next crop of players to come through.
Not only with the bat, but Waugh was a pain for batters in the slip cordon too. With 289 catches, he is Australia's third most successful fielder in international cricket, behind Ponting and Smith. People always tend to forget, but Waugh was the OG when it came to slip catching. His flawless technique led to countless 'Caught Waugh bowled Warne' dismissals and was a blueprint for any youngster growing up during that era.
Hence, imagine the magnitude of the praise when India's fielding coach compared KL Rahul's catch in the first Test against Bangladesh to that of the great Mark Waugh. Rahul may have missed out scoring runs, but was clinical in the field, grabbing two pretty smooth catches under the sapping Chennai heat. His sharp take at second slip in the first innings to send Mushfiqur Rahim packing was a lesson in technique. The ball was flying to his left, but a composed Rahul followed it, kept his eyes on the ball till the last moment, positioned his arms perfectly to his right and held on to it as clean as it gets. No wonder Dilip saw shades of the Aussie great in it.
"The best part of this catch was that KL was following with his hands. Nice, soft hands to finish it but by the time it is taken, you can see he literally finishes behind his body. If you keep having the proper position where you either open up the hips or slightly open the toe, it helps follow the ball even if it's slightly behind. And that was the technique you see the great Mark Waugh used to do. Even when the ball goes behind the body, if you open that hip, that little door, it allows you to continue in that path. And that was a great example," Dilip said in a video shared by the BCCI.
Rahul's second stunner of the match
{{/usCountry}}"The best part of this catch was that KL was following with his hands. Nice, soft hands to finish it but by the time it is taken, you can see he literally finishes behind his body. If you keep having the proper position where you either open up the hips or slightly open the toe, it helps follow the ball even if it's slightly behind. And that was the technique you see the great Mark Waugh used to do. Even when the ball goes behind the body, if you open that hip, that little door, it allows you to continue in that path. And that was a great example," Dilip said in a video shared by the BCCI.
Rahul's second stunner of the match
{{/usCountry}}Rahul took another wonderful catch in the second innings, once again to dismiss Rahim, only this time at a completely different position. Closing in from mid-on, Rahul did brilliantly well to put in a dive forward and pluck it inches off the ground. It was Rahul's 150th catch in international cricket. Any lapse in concentration, and it could have been spilled. But that's exactly, as Dilip mentions, what made the effort special.
"Great in the slip cordon but also at mid-on, he showed that he is terrifically composed at the way he went for that catch because it was really dipping right in front of him, and to have that awareness to get his fingers underneath the ball and getting his timing right in coming down. With his height, I think it was a terrific catch to look at," India's fielding coach added.
