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Team India wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul established himself as a reliable middle-order player in ODI cricket with another match-winning knock under pressure on Sunday, October 8.
His unbeaten 97-run knock at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai helped India beat Australia in their opening match of the 2023 World Cup.
Australia batted first in the contest after winning the toss and got bundled out for 199 in 49.3 overs. Ravindra Jadeja (3/28) was lethal with the ball at his IPL home ground. Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah supported him by scalping two wickets apiece.
In response, India crumbled to 2/3 in two overs as Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer departed without scoring a single run. KL Rahul came in at this juncture with India in a dire situation. The 31-year-old put his ego aside and played watchfully in the company of Virat Kohli for a while when the Australian bowlers were bowling magnificently.
He switched the gears seamlessly as the game went on and put pressure on Adam Zampa in his very first over by hitting a couple of fours. Rahul picked up pace from there and never looked back again as he put 165-run partnership with Virat Kohli (85) to seal the game for India.
Kohli perished at the fag end of the chase. However, KL Rahul remained at the crease and finished the match with a six over covers against Pat Cummins in the 42nd over.
KL Rahul's imperial knock under pressure against a top team like Australia garnered him applause from fans. They expressed their reactions by sharing memes on social media platforms.
Here are some of the best memes:
"I had just had a shower and thought I could put my feet up"- KL Rahul
At the post-match presentation, KL Rahul revealed that he had a shower after the first innings and thought he could relax for a little while. This is especially after keeping the wickets for 50 overs.
However, it was not to be as he had to walk in as early as the third over due to top-order collapse. Reflecting on his knock, Rahul said:
"I had just had a shower and thought I could put my feet up. There wasn't a lot of conversation, to be honest. Virat said there's a bit of help in this wicket, so we have to play proper shots and think like we're Test cricket for a little time."
"[Pitch] I think it remained the same for most part of the game. There was a bit of help for the fast bowlers in the start and the spinners came in."
He added:
"The ball did come on a little better but the wicket was still two-paced. It was a good cricket wicket and that's what you get in the southern parts of India. (Reaction to the winning shot) I hit it too well. I was just calculating how I could get to a hundred. Hopefully, some other time I can get the hundred."
Team India will next square off against Afghanistan in their second match of the 2023 World Cup on Wednesday (October 11) in Delhi.
