KL Rahul’s stability vital, says Shastri

KL Rahul‘s magnificent century in Wednesday’s second ODI of the current series against New Zealand at the Niranjan Shah Stadium was everything one could have imagined. The way the star batsman constructed the innings against the BlackCaps to get his eighth century in the format and save the Indian team from defeat in the opening innings also astounded former cricketer Ravi Shastri.

Speaking live during the game, Shastri praised the Karnataka player for his brilliant batting despite less than ideal circumstances. The former head coach of India described how KL Rahul showed great maturity as a middle-order batsman by starting out cautiously before picking up his pace of run-scoring. After Rahul reached 112 not-out off just 92 balls, Shastri also praised his ability to have a cool head.

It wasn’t simple when he arrived. I think he deserves all the credit for doing it that way. He entered in at number five today, but when Virat was removed at one point, India won 118-4. The pitch had become a little slower. The ball was softer and a little older. Additionally, two newcomers had arrived at the crease. When that collaboration began, he and Jadeja were both at zero. You could notice the fluidity once he was around thirty or forty. He began to open up and made some amazing shots. Shastri explained via BCCI.tv that in order for him to exhibit the attitude he did then, he had to maintain his composure and suss the situation.

In addition, Shastri thinks KL Rahul has already made a few significant contributions to the three-match series. The hosts were able to post 284-7 at the close of the first innings thanks primarily to Rahul, who formed a few crucial partnerships with Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

According to Shastri, it could have been challenging to get runs in Rajkot without KL Rahul.

He paces the innings nicely, in my opinion. Around him, wickets were falling. We are aware of the harm he can inflict in the final four overs. Even in the final game, we witnessed it in the way he concluded. You examine the final score, which ranges from 118 to 284. He scored 112 of the 165 runs that were scored when he was at the crease. It’s never simple to reach 100 at number five, therefore move down the sequence. Full credit, I believe. Shastri continued, “That stability he provides that middle order is extremely important.”

The BlackCaps’ centurion, Daryl Mitchell, led the visitors to a seven-wicket victory, and despite KL Rahul heroic efforts in the first innings, the Indians were unable to defend the total. Will Young gave Mitchell a lot of help, and with one more game to go, the series is now tied. The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore will host the series finale on Sunday, January 18. Before the action shifts to the five T20Is, it would be interesting to observe who wins the ODI leg.