KL Rahul played a crucial role in India’s six-wicket victory over Australia in their opening match of the ICC World Cup 2023, held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, October 8.
While chasing a target of 200 runs, India faced a challenging situation as both openers, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, were dismissed without scoring any runs. Adding to the difficulty, Shreyas Iyer, the fourth batter, also got out without contributing any runs.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul provided stability for the home team by establishing an impressive 165-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Kohli was dismissed after scoring 85 runs, while Rahul remained not out at 97, steering India to a crucial victory.
After the game, Athiya Shetty, Rahul’s wife, posted an Instagram story to respond to his resilient innings. Her message was:
“Best guy ever.”
https://instagram.com/stories/athiyashetty/3209193493820621488?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
KL Rahul was awarded the Player of the Match for his remarkable batting performance. Following this victory, Rohit Sharma and his team are currently positioned fifth in the points table with a net run rate of 0.883.
“The only way was a four and a six, but no qualms on not getting to that hundred” – KL Rahul’s perspective on missing a century with a score of 97*
In the post-match presentation, KL Rahul mentioned that when he entered to bat, Virat Kohli advised him to adapt his approach as if it were a red-ball game. This guidance was influenced by the pitch conditions and how it was playing.
Rahul also noted that he recognized he needed a six and a four to reach his century when India was just five runs away from victory. However, in an interesting turn of events, the middle-order batsman executed a perfectly timed lofted cover drive, and it sailed for a six over extra cover.
“Virat said there’s a bit in the wicket, so play like Test cricket for a while. There was a bit of help for the pacers with the new ball, and then the spinners also. In the last 15-20 overs, dew played a part and that helped quite a bit. The ball also skidded on better.”
“However, it was a bit two-paced, it wasn’t the easiest of wickets to bat on and it wasn’t flat as well. It was a good cricket wicket, bit for the batters and the bowlers.”
”That’s what you get in the south of India, especially Chennai. (On the last six) I hit it too well, I just calculated how to get to a 100 in the end. The only way was a four and a six, but no qualms on not getting to that hundred.”
India’s next match is against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11.
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