Former India opener and coach Wasim Jaffer has made a bold comparison involving one of India's biggest batting stars, claiming that KL Rahul possesses the same level of talent as Virat Kohli.
But Jaffer has conceded that Rahul lacks the elite mentality that has made Kohli one of the greatest batters of the modern era.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Jaffer reflected on his time with Punjab Kings, where he worked closely with players like KL Rahul and Chris Gayle. Drawing from those experiences, the former India batter praised Rahul's immense ability while explaining why he believes the wicketkeeper-batter has not fully lived up to his potential.
Jaffer admitted that Rahul's technical quality is among the very best in world
cricket but felt that the 34-year-old has underachieved considering his immense skill set.
"KL is a top-class player who plays all three formats remarkably well. Technically sound, composed, and level-headed. Even though he is still actively playing, I believe he has somewhat underachieved given his skill set. He can get so many more runs for both India and his franchise. In terms of pure talent and quality, I genuinely believe he is at par with Virat Kohli, but it is Virat's elite mentality that creates that ultimate separation between KL and Virat. "
While discussing Rahul, Jaffer also recalled an inspiring chapter from Chris Gayle's career during their time together at Punjab Kings. He revealed how the West Indies legend used the disappointment of going unsold in the initial rounds of the IPL auction as motivation to prove his critics wrong.
According to Jaffer, Gayle's calm and carefree public image masked an intensely driven professional who was determined to justify Punjab's faith in him.
"When we worked with Chris Gayle, we could see how much pride he took in his game. Before Punjab picked him up, he had played for RCB for a very long time, and then came an auction where no one picked him initially until Punjab stepped in during the final round. For a player of his stature, I feel his ego was slightly hurt being taken in the last round. But he channelled that and went on to score 500 to 600 runs for Punjab that season. Behind that super chilled-out persona, he was an absolute professional who knew there was money on his head and that he had to deliver," he concluded.
