How have Virat & AB de Villiers helped K L Rahul? Karnataka lad's childhood coach answers

Speaking to a leading daily, KL Rahul's childhood coach Samuel Jayaraj credited Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, stating that the duo helped Rahul a lot in getting things together. KL Rahul, who is making waves with his batting in limited-overs formats, continued his stellar spell in the series against New Zealand. Even though India was white-washed, KL Rahul stood out with the bat for India in the 3rd ODI against New Zealand at the Bay Oval on Tuesday.

The trio has been part of the same franchise - Royal Challengers Bangalore, in the Indian Premier League back in 2013. Jayaraj further stated that ABD understands Rahul better because he is also a wicketkeeper-batsman. He further mentioned that Virat has always motivated him and shown confidence in him, adding that the Indian skipper recognised Rahul's talent. Furthermore, the Karnataka lad's coach cited the example of a change in Rahul's stance, asserting that Virat helped him in balancing it.

Currently, in his best form,  Rahul will next be in the action when India takes on South Africa in the home series before moving his attention to the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will be leading Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

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KL Rahul achieves a rare feat

KL Rahul's exceptional spell continued against New Zealand, the star cricketer etched his name in history books as he became the first India batsman to score a century against Kiwis in New Zealand while coming to bat at number five or below. His century helped India post a comprehensive total of 296 /7 in 50 overs in the final ODI.

Coming out to bat at a crucial time, Rahul notched up a fine century off 104 balls against New Zeland at Bay Oval. KL Rahul, along with Shreyas Iyer, helped in fuelling India's total by playing calculative shots and keeping the scoreboard ticking simultaneously.     

A century at number five is such a rare sight for the Men in Blue as the last batsman to hit a ton at this spot was former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who did it against England in 2017. Rahul has been in sublime form on the current tour as he scored three half-centuries before bringing up his maiden century.

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READ: NZ vs Ind 3rd ODI: KL Rahul century in vain as India suffer 0-3 whitewash in New Zealand