Archer has put a bit of a spin on the conversation about who is the best in the Indian batting order. The England fast bowler has made no bones about it – he sees Rahul as the one to watch, especially given how he was in the first few years of the IPL. As Archer would have it, there was no place to hide from him back then. All of which should make for some good times when India come to town.
Archer’s surprise pick and the message it sends
On The Super Over, Archer put his view out there, and in doing so, you could say he redefined the usual talk on who is the thorn in a side’s side. Picking Rahul over the likes of Kohli or Rohit is a way of saying that at one point, Rahul’s all-round game and timing were enough to put even the best pacers in their place.
There is a clip of the two of them talking that has been making the rounds, and you can see the no-nonsense respect Archer has for what Rahul put together in those seasons.
‘He could hit any ball anywhere’: candid admission
‘I’d say probably KL Rahul in the first few years of the IPL,’ was how Archer put it, thinking of a time when he was at his best. ‘He was in his prime then, and it was like he could hit any ball anywhere. You found him hard to bowl to.’
In a nutshell, here is what Archer had to say:
– He went with KL Rahul, not Kohli or Rohit
– His reference point is the opening years of the IPL
– A 360-degree player who was just unplayable
Head-to-head snapshot: Rahul vs Archer
The stats bear some of this out. In Test cricket, Archer hasn’t had Rahul out; he’s made 50 off 136 deliveries from him. In T20Is, he has got him once.
It shows you can be adaptable. With the red ball, Rahul has taken his time and let the pressure build, but in T20s he has made top-tier quicks work for it, even on flatter tracks.
Why it matters ahead of July 14th
When India are in England for the white-ball series, you can expect a bit of a tussle between these two. We have the first ODI on the 14th, and both sides will be looking to get their 50-over mix right with the 2027 World Cup on the horizon.
Archer will be up there with the new ball to try and make an early impact. Then you have Rahul, in as a wicketkeeper-batter, who is the lynchpin. If he gets going, England have to alter course; if he goes for a duck, the game can turn on a dime.
India’s ODI squad at a glance
The list for the tour: KL Rahul (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill (Captain), Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (if he is fit), Ishan Kishan (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Gurnoor Brar.
So Archer’s words are as much a challenge as they are a pat on the back. They go back to when Rahul was in a league of his own, and they set the stage for what’s to come in England. With Archer trying to find his stride after some time out with injury and Rahul having to step up in a full house of a side, their next run-in on July 14th could well be the one to remember.
