Under-25 cricketers from prominent Test nations who could be the next big superstars in world cricket

India – KL Rahul

KL Rahul’s transformation from a Test batsman to a limited-overs prodigy has been exemplary

Watching the jittery Lokesh Rahul play the falsest of shots against a 90mph bowler on Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground may have forced one to believe that he too was one of those promising domestic talents who just couldn’t graduate to the next level. Hardly does it happen that a failed debutant is provided with a second chance in the Indian Cricket Team, but such was Rahul’s case that he not only shrugged off his nervy reputation but also, in two years’ time, showed that he wasn’t the one meant only for the longest format of the game. A game-defining century (110) while opening the batting at the Sydney Cricket Ground made the world stand up and take notice of the then 22-year-old boy from Karnataka, and a patient 108 in Colombo six months later established his prowess in home conditions.

Still, 256 runs from 5 tests at 25.60 do not speak highly of his right-handed batsman, but then, there is always more to a cricketer than just his stats. A welcome revelation, in this regard, was Rahul’s recent transformation into a potent limited-overs batsman, as after a good IPL season – wherein he garnered 397 runs from 14 games at 44.11 with 4 fifties – he transcended successfully into the international 50-overs format, plundering 196 runs from the 3 ODIs that he played against Zimbabwe, including a century on debut. The 24-year-old’s knack for playing aggressive cricket whilst maintaining classical copybook strokeplay makes him a lethal force to be reckoned with.