IND vs NZ: Under-fire KL Rahul Aims to Achieve 'Multiple Milestones' in Second Test Against New Zealand

Indian cricketer KL Rahul finds himself in a spot of bother after a shoddy performance in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru recently. The 32-year-old chipped in with scores of 0 and 12 in the two innings and his struggles contributed to India's loss.

His dismissal came at a crucial point when India had gained some momentum, courtesy of a partnership between Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant. Losing Rahul at that point put the Indian cricket team on the back foot, which led to a batting collapse.

Now, as the team gears up for the second Test in Pune on October 24 (Thursday), KL Rahul will be looking forward to making the amends. More importantly he has several milestones within his reach. The right-hander who has got the game to play both spin and seamers quite well will aim to silence the naysayers by letting his bat do the talking.

Milestones Rahul Can Reach in IND vs NZ 2nd Test

1. Closing in on 3,000 Test Runs: The Bengaluru-born cricketer is just 19 runs away from reaching the 3,000-run milestone in Test cricket. The 32-year-old might not have made an impact in the previous Test but will look to deliver the goods this time around. If he scores 19 runs, it would provide the much-needed confidence boost to regain his form.

2. Could surpass Vijay Manjrekar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and Murali Vijay's fifties' tally: Rahul has scored 15 half-centuries in Test cricket, which ties him with former Indian cricketers- Vijay Manjrekar, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Murali Vijay. If the right-hander scores a fifty in the Pune Test, it would see him surpass the aforementioned names.

3. Could move ahead of Chandu Borde's Run Tally: Rahul already scored 2,981 Test runs so far and needs just 81 more runs to edge past Chandu Borde's tally of 3,061. Borde, who represented India between 1958 and 1969 is regarded as one of the country's finest all-rounders during his era.

4. Can go past Kapil Dev's Century tally: Rahul has scored eight centuries in Test cricket, which puts him level with India's legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. If Rahul manages to score a century in Pune, he will move ahead of Kapil in the Test century tally. If he manages to pull off such a knock, it would not only be a perfect way to answer his critics but also serve as a huge confidence booster.