He scored an unbeaten 112 to propel India to 284/7.
Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has once again rescued the team from a tricky situation to notch up a sublime, unbeaten ton during the second IND vs NZ ODI in Rajkot. The batter’s 112*-run innings off 92 balls marked his eighth century in the format.
The former Indian opener believes that with the calibre and skillset the 33-year-old possesses, he could have entered the record books for multiple more milestones and might have broken some more records long ago. Notably, the assessment did not lower the value of his counter-attacking century against the Black Caps. Instead, it pointed towards the high expectations across fans and the stalwarts of the game from the gloveman, who is ready to play any of the roles for the team.
“I’ve always thought that maybe, and I could be wrong, with all the talent that he’s had, he’s probably been a little bit of an underachiever. But now, I think he’s coming to that space when he has that much more confidence in himself,” stated Gavaskar during the innings break.
Moreover, the rescue act came at No.5, the slot where Rahul has put up his most runs in the 50-over format. In 33 innings, he has scored 1,477 runs in the position, averaging 64.21. Coming in during the 22nd over, the batter’s 73-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja stabilised the Men in Blue’s innings after losing in-form Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer in quick succession.
“Therefore he’s now showing them, showing the range of shots, showing the temperament. It is a delight to watch him, and he’s got the elegance as well,” he added.
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His partnership with Jadeja was followed by two more brisk, crucial stands with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mohammed Siraj that fueled India’s total to a fighting 284/7. But after two early breakthroughs, a 100-plus partnership between Will Young (66*) and Daryl Mitchell (77*) has seen the opponents cruising in the run chase. The Kiwis need 113 more runs in 17 overs to level the series before heading towards Indore for the final fixture.
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