Rahul has been one  of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical proficiency & stylish strokes. His strokes are so perfect technically that he is considered as the "wall" of the Indian Team. His batting style was regarded slow for the ODI’s initially but with his imaginative placing of the ball & innovative strokes he made himself as an integral part of the Indian team for both Tests as well as ODI’s. His temperament for both the versions of the game is exemplary and has earned him respect from all the other players. The Indian Vice Captain has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. . He was verily the batsman of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named as Wisden cricketer of the year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade. His good and innocent looks make him very popular among the girls.