From KL Rahul 2.0 to India’s crisis man, every year, the wicketkeeper-batter gets a new tag. And somehow, each tag is associated with his dreadful knock in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. Yesterday at Rajkot, India were in a similar position playing the 2nd ODI against New Zealand. The coincidences were uncanny, from the start of the match to the result. But one man made the difference. The one who dons the No.1 jersey.
After a batting collapse that left India at 115/3 in the 22nd over, a rare occurrence of KL Rahul walking out to bat at No.5 took place. The Karnataka player stayed on the crease till the last ball and took India to 284/7. In the process, he reached his 8th ODI hundred with 112 not out.
However, despite the best efforts by bowlers to defend in the second innings, New Zealand won the match, with Daryl Mitchell also reaching triple figures.
When you dig deep into the numbers starting from his debut match in 2026, you’ll be left astonished, and slightly baffled too.
KL Rahul started batting in the top order, one of the rare few players who hit an unbeaten hundred on debut. He hadn’t lost form, but he was pushed in the middle order. A series of injuries troubled him, but he bounced back to claim his spot. He struck a couple of centuries and a couple of 80+ knocks before he was sent back to No.5. He kept his calm and simply replicated what he was doing best: scoring runs.
From 2020 to 2022, KL Rahul’s spot played musical chairs of their own. From 2023, he was constantly playing in the middle order, first to accommodate Shikhar Dhawan, and now, the captain of Team India, Shubman Gill. India’s tour of Zimbabwe in August 2022 was the last time he batted in the top order, where he made 31 runs in two outings.
But stability at the top didn’t directly mean Rahul’s spot was fixed. His position was flexible, but the majority of his innings were played at No.5.
Since Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach in July 2024, KL Rahul has played 12 knocks at No.6, three at No.5, and a solitary evening at No.7. In the three outings at No.5, his scores read- 112 not out (latest), 66 not out, and 40. Overall, at No.5, he has played 33 innings, scored 1,477 runs, made three centuries, and 10 fifties – his best figures so far.
The purpose of extracting this data was to showcase the player’s readiness to take up any spot he’s asked to fill. Though he plays as an opener throughout his domestic career, in franchise cricket, and in Tests too, he easily shifts gears to a finisher’s role in 50-over cricket.
As rightly quoted by the player, “I just want to be part of the XI. I’ll do anything for that.”
One would imagine that his form dips at the top, or he must have found it difficult to bat lower down the order. But we’ll never know. Because Rahul’s stern mentality has a calm exterior.
KL Rahul is not a missing piece in the puzzle. He becomes the piece the puzzle demands. He’s not a mould that fits in, but reshapes to fit the demands of the Indian cricket team. Yet somehow, Rahul and The Wall are never used in a sentence.
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No matter how disputed the batting order would be, to increase depth to No.8, KL Rahul’s statistics implore a suitable spot for him. No.5 should’ve ideally been the end of the discussion, but the coach and captain take a call as per the situation in the match.
During the 1st IND vs NZ ODI of the series, India needed a finisher to go over the line. KL Rahul played at No.6. During the 2nd IND vs NZ ODI, India needed someone to stay on the crease, which made sense for KL Rahul to bat at No.5.
While the 33-year-old may not utter any demands, his batting statistics draw a Kantara circle of their own. Players like him are a rare breed. He is not the highest run-scorer or smashing record after record. Because he’s busy creating a legacy that can’t be undone.
With the gap between now and the ODI World Cup 2027 reducing significantly, the Indian contingent should reconsider KL Rahul as The Wall at No.5.
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