"Best guy ever" - Athiya Shetty reacts to husband KL Rahul's defiant knock in IND vs AUS match of 2023 World Cup

KL Rahul saved the day for India with his clutch knock, helping the Men in Blue trump Australia by six wickets in their opening match of the ICC World Cup 2023. The game took place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, October 8.

Chasing a 200-run target, India found themselves in a precarious position after openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan were dismissed for ducks. To make matters worse, No. 4 batter Shreyas Iyer also departed without troubling the scorers.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul steadied the ship for the hosts, orchestrating a stunning 165-run partnership for the fourth wicket. While Kohli got out after scoring 85, Rahul remained unbeaten on 97, guiding India to a crucial win.

Following the match, Rahul's wife Athiya Shetty shared an Instagram story to react to the player's defiant knock. She wrote:

"Best guy ever."

Click here to watch Athiya's Instagram story.

KL Rahul was adjudged the Player of the Match for his awe-inspiring batting exploits. With the win, Rohit Sharma and Co. are in fifth place in the points table with a net run rate of 0.883.

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"The only way was a four and a six, but no qualms on not getting to that hundred" - KL Rahul on being stranded on 97*

Speaking in the post-match presentation, KL Rahul stated that when he walked out to bat, Virat Kohli instructed him to play it like a red-ball game for a while. This was because of how the wicket behaved.

Rahul also mentioned that he realized that he could have completed his century only by hitting a six and a four when India required five runs to win. However, the middle-order batter ended up timing his lofted cover drive way too well, as it went 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 will next be seen in action when they take on Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11.