Former India batter turned commentator Cheteshwar Pujara praised opener KL Rahul for his 77-run knock on Day 1 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Stating Rahul is one of Team India’s best batters in the current team, he added that he is proving success can be achieved in the modern era by playing traditional cricket as well.

In a video posted on Cricinfo’s YouTube channel, Pujara said: “He is, for me, probably one of the best Test cricketers in this Indian Test side. He is leading from the front all the time, showing some of the young players how to approach Test cricket. Methods might be different. Some players will carry on playing the aggressive way, but Rahul is showing again and again that Test cricket still can be played in a traditional way. So, he is sticking to his strength.”

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Sharing his thoughts on KL Rahul’s improvement as a Test cricketer in recent years, Cheteshwar Pujara said that he is making the most of his starts now. He also backed Rahul to reach three figures if he gets a chance to bat on Sunday.

“What is impressive to see is that he is defending the ball well, he is leaving the ball well. When he gets his opportunity to score runs, he is capitalizing on that. But the biggest point here is, he is showing that consistency, which was lacking maybe a couple of years back. He was getting enough opportunities but he was missing out on those opportunities,” he shared.

“Now, whenever he is crossing 30, 40 or 50, he is making it into a big one. Because of cramps, he couldn’t carry on with his innings. But he still has that opportunity to get to his 100. So, hopefully on Day 2, if he gets to bat, he will make it count,” Cheteshwar Pujara concluded.