India, July 19 -- Former India head coach Ravi Shastri laid down the marker for KL Rahul, saying that with the right-hander's talent, his average should be close to 50. After the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the longest format, Rahul is one of the most experienced batters in the lineup, and so far, he has lived up to the responsibility, scoring two hundreds in three matches. In the first innings of the Lord's Test, the 33-year-old put on a masterclass, scoring his second century at the home of cricket.

There is no denying Rahul's talent, but it would be fair to say that he has underachieved in the longest format. He currently has 3632 runs, averaging 35.3, with 10 hundreds and 18 half-centuries.

In the ongoing Anders...