"He is a car with gears in an era of automatic cars" - Irfan Pathan says KL Rahul batting down the order in IPL 2024 could be good for LSG and him

Irfan Pathan reckons KL Rahul batting down the order in IPL 2024 might help both the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and his cause.

Rahul could play only nine games in the last edition of the Indian Premier League due to a thigh injury sustained while fielding. The LSG skipper will reportedly not open this year to put forth his case as a middle-order wicketkeeper-batter in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked whether it would work for the Lucknow Super Giants if Rahul bats in the middle order. He responded in the affirmative, elaborating:

"He is a car with gears in an era of automatic cars. He can bat in any gear from first to fifth. He even has a sixth gear. So considering that, KL Rahul batting down the order might not be bad at all."

The former India all-rounder opined that Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers could open for the Lucknow-based franchise if Rahul bats in the middle order.

"It could be good for the team and him as well. The team combination could include both Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers in such a scenario. If both of them get a place, they can go with an all-Indian pace attack," Pathan added.

LSG traded in Devdutt Padikkal from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. The Karnataka opener has been in scintillating form lately and could bat at the top of the order alongside either De Kock or Mayers.

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"We were very impressed with the way Yash Thakur bowled last year" - Irfan Pathan on LSG's seam attack

Yash Thakur picked up 13 wickets in nine games in IPL 2023. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Irfan Pathan noted that the Lucknow Super Giants have three impressive Indian seamers in Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh Charak and Mohsin Khan. He said:

"Their fast bowling is quite good. We were very impressed with the way Yash Thakur bowled last year. The Jammu and Kashmir boy Yudhvir Singh Charak also bowled very well. Mohsin Khan, if he remains fit, is an asset for his team as a left-arm bowler."

While observing that LSG have bolstered their seam attack with the acquisition of Shivam Mavi, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that the relaid Lucknow pitch is also likely to be more seamer-friendly.

"They have acquired Shivam Mavi as well, which means they want express pace because the nature of the Lucknow pitch has changed slightly. The pitch is relaid, we saw some bounce. You might still get to see spin if it is a red-soil pitch but it will still be a much better pitch for batting and fast bowling," Pathan stated.

LSG paid ₹6.40 crore to buy Mavi at the IPL 2024 auction. They also acquired David Willey to complement Mark Wood and Naveen-ul-Haq, their two retained overseas seamers.