IPL 2022: 'Street smart KL Rahul is the most valuable Indian batter right now,' says Irfan Pathan

Mumbai, May 7: Living up to his 'Mr Consistent' tag in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lucknow Super Giants star batsman and skipper KL Rahul has continued his impressive form with the bat in IPL 2022. The talismanic right-handed batsman has amassed 451 runs in 10 games at an impressive strike rate of 145.02 in the ongoing tournament.

Rahul has also smashed 38 fours and 20 sixes in this edition of the domestic T20 tournament and led the tournament debutants by example.

Impressed with the performance of the 30-year-old India cricketer, former India seamer Irfan Pathan hailed Rahul as one of the most valuable batsmen due to his ability to bat at various positions and in different modes.

"KL is a street smart batsman. He is capable of batting at any position, he has done that in India colours and one can do that with such ease only if he's talented. He is one of the most valuable Indian batters because he has the ability to play in different modes," Pathan said while speaking on Star Sports' show Cricket Live.

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina reckons the LSG captain is in the best phase of his career because of the positive mindset with which he's batting in the ongoing domestic T20 event. The LSG opener is looking to take the tournament debutants into the playoffs with his batting effort.

"KL (Rahul) is in the best mindset right now, he's batting with a very positive mindset. He is playing some amazing shots which proves that he is in the best phase of his career. He is trying a few new things as well this season (in his batting). He plays with the mind of the bowlers and traps them. He forces the bowlers to bowl in the areas which are his strong zones and constructs his innings accordingly. It is really commendable to see him bat like this," Raina - who himself is an IPL legend - said on Star Sports.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif claimed the Karnataka batsman is capable of playing aggressive shots from the start of his innings but the right-handed batter curbs his instincts to ensure he bats long.

Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Kaif said, "KL Rahul is trying to play captaincy innings this year. He can be aggressive from the word go and he's capable of starting his innings with a six but he is curbing his instincts in order to play long and impactful knocks. He has all the shots in his arsenal, he can play sweep shots, he can pull shots, and he plays those cut shots brilliantly but the reason why he's taking his time into the middle is to prolong his innings. He can take risks as there are many good batsmen in his team but he's looking to bat with the responsibility and lead his side from the front."