India opener KL Rahul acclaimed fellow team-mate Jasprit Bumrah and explained how the star pacer's competitiveness definitely makes him someone not to mess about with.
"He is a phenomenal talent and I had the opportunity and privilege to play with him even before he had the chance to play for his country. We played on the same junior level team and he's always someone that's very determined and dedicated and very passionate about cricket," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Rahul as saying.
"He is someone you do not want to mess with because he bowls the ball at serious speeds and he's a competitor off the field even when we're playing against each other. There's no mercy, even for the guys who play for the same country - he's always very competitive. The things that he's doing for the country right now are absolutely fantastic and I know he's only going to grow and get better," he added.
After failing to deliver with the bat against West Indies, Rahul was dropped from the Test squads for India's home series against South Africa. The MSK Prasad lead selection committee decided to hand Rohit Sharma the opening batsman's role for the ongoing Test series.
The 27-year-old also said that Australian bowlers Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Afghan spinner Rashid Khan have troubled him the most.
"Pat Cummins, who is the No. 1 Test bowler right now. I found him very hard to face. Rashid Khan has always got the edge over me - he has my number a little bit. Nathan Lyon from Australia. All these guys, and Bumrah of course," Rahul said.
Just days before the series opener, Bumrah picked up a minor stress fracture in his lower back which ruled him unavailable for selection. BCCI named Umesh Yadav his replacement in the Indian squad.
Rahul also praised England all-rounder Ben Stokes for his magnificent 135-run innings against Australia in the third Ashes Test match.
"It's funny because we were playing a Test match, too, in Antigua. But we were following the scores on the manager's phone, as we're not really allowed to use phones during the game. The manager kept checking for scores and we kept following ball-by-ball," Rahul said.
"What he did was unbelievable. It will always remain the best Test match that was ever played. To play an innings like that is incredible. He's a phenomenal player and phenomenal athlete - you can watch that match over and over again," he added.
