India’s KL Rahul and Virat Kohli (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has made a bold comparison between KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, saying the Indian wicketkeeper-batter possesses the same level of talent and technical ability as the batting great. However, Jaffer believes it is Kohli’s unmatched mentality and relentless consistency that have helped him scale unprecedented heights in international cricket.Rahul and Kohli have shared the Indian dressing room for over a decade, with the duo making their international careers around the same era. While Kohli has gone on to become one of the greatest batters of the modern era, Rahul has often been praised for his elegant strokeplay and versatility but has struggled to convert his immense potential into sustained dominance.Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Jaffer reflected on his time as part of the Punjab Kings coaching setup and recalled working closely with Rahul during the IPL.

‘KL Rahul is at par with Virat Kohli in talent’

Jaffer described Rahul as one of the most technically complete batters in world cricket and said the Karnataka star still has plenty to achieve.“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,” Jaffer said. The former India opener then made a striking comparison with Kohli.“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,” he added.

Virat Kohli vs KL Rahul: International career comparison

Although Jaffer rates Rahul’s talent alongside Kohli’s, the numbers underline the remarkable gap created by Kohli’s longevity and consistency as Kohli started his international career 6 years prior to KL Rahul.