KL Rahul has continued to silence his doubters, anchoring India's innings with remarkable consistency during the 2025 England tour. His efforts earned high praise from experts during Day 1 of the fourth Test in England. Both Sanjay Manjrekar and Jonathan Trott lauded the 33-year-old opener for his solid technique, calm temperament, and ability to adapt in foreign conditions, particularly against the red ball.

Speaking on Match Centre Live on JioHotstar after the opening session, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar shared his thoughts on the KL Rahul–Jaiswal partnership and said: “The reason KL Rahul and Jaiswal have got close to 500–600 runs as opening partners is the hard work — the plinth of the structure being built by KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, both with 30+ scores now in this innings, after two hours of proper Test-match batting. That was a revelation for me on Day One of the series, where they had to bat first after losing the toss. And it continues to sort of almost bowl me over — the way this T20 generation of Indian batters has adapted is just brilliant. I can safely say that both Jaiswal and KL Rahul have got their eye in.”

On Rahul’s consistency and how his batting approach suits overseas Test conditions, he said, “KL Rahul has the right kind of approach to playing shots. Now, they say in England, when the ball is pitched up, you play the drive to get two runs, not a boundary. And that's exactly what he did with the two cover drives he played. This is a guy who hasn’t put a foot wrong in the series and continues to perform. So India is blessed with a KL Rahul who’s finally found consistency in the way he’s batted. It’s not a quick outfield, so a lot of the shots he played went for two runs. But yes, this is exactly what we expect from KL Rahul. We also see a lot of young batters now getting right up there with the legends of the past — and doing it consistently. One reason is they’re performing well. The other is India now plays a lot of Test matches in places like England, Australia, and South Africa — almost every two years.”

Jonathan Trott also praised KL Rahul’s role at the top of the order, noting the calm and structure he brings to the Indian dressing room: “I think KL Rahul has been a real bedrock for India, and he certainly calms that dressing room down. The way that he goes about his business, his mannerisms, the way that he scores — the areas that he scores in — is well attuned to being an opening batter. He’s leaving the ball really well, and for me, that’s the number one thing he’s really worked out in his game. I think he’s in great form. If they can continue this partnership — and not go out there trying to cash in too early after doing the hard work — they’ll be in a great position.”