It was both a familiar and unfamiliar sight at once. It wasn’t the first time India found themselves in doomsday zone, the much-vaunted top-order crumbling away in a significant clash of ICC tournaments, a few minutes of mood-shifting mayhem, when the worst-case scenario that swirled under everyone’s head materialised. It was, however, not too familiar to see three of the top-order batters walking back without contributing anything to India’s total. Okay, some visionary minds might have prognosticated early wickets, but surely not this early, and not this cheaply.
Ishan Kishan, playing his first ODI World Cup game, went on to attempt one thing you aren’t advised to do against Starc, Rohit Sharma got an absolute peach from Josh Hazlewood, and Shreyas Iyer’s failed attempt to pierce the heavily guarded off region was caught by David Warner. Three wickets fell in twelve balls. It was absolute chaos on the field, the jubilant Aussies ready to prowl on whoever came next. India were already staring at a possible defeat, and KL Rahul, perhaps his bathroom ceiling. The Chennai heat does that to you, a city where even a hippie is compelled to take multiple showers. Rahul, after keeping the wickets for almost 300 balls under the oppressive heat, went straightaway for a shower, from where he had to rush to the ground just after Iyer’s dismissal and take charge of the proceedings, alongside Virat Kohli.
The target wasn’t tricky to begin with, but three wickets in two overs made it look steeper, and the ball was still doing much for Starc and Hazlewood. Kohli kept going for flashy drives, missing it by a whisker or miles. Rahul looked more composed, not taking any risk and playing into the opponent’s hands. At this point, even one more wicket would have been a perfect sucker punch, and Australia almost had it if Mitchell Marsh had not grassed a desperate pull from Kohli. That, however, turned out to be the last fumble. What followed was an immaculate display from both Rahul and Kohli, both prioritising their wickets, and runs came as a byproduct.
There was no attempt to assert themselves until the 18th over, when Rahul showed his range with two beautiful late cuts, compelling Zampa for an overcorrection that was driven away for third successive boundaries. It was a big momentum shift. Zampa, after watching how Indian spinners made his compatriots dance to their tunes, must have been hoping to produce a similar effect. Instead, he looked flat from the beginning, not getting enough turn or showing enough guile to deceive either Rahul or Kohli.
“I was just trying to get my breath back. 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,” said Rahul in the post-match conference.
There’s often an argument made against Rahul’s inability to rise up to the pressure, the lack of big-match-player aura, with the body language experts picking up his unaggressive, calm demeanour as proof of fear and cowardice. The numbers tell you an entirely different story, only if you’re willing to look. Since his move to the middle-order, Rahul has been the most consistent batter, excelling in a plethora of contrasting situations, displaying his immense range, from anchoring the innings to playing a breezy cameo. Rahul has been averaging north of 60 at a stellar strike rate at No. 4 and No. 5. Since his comeback to the team, he has played multiple innings of note, be it his innings last night or his match-winning century against Pakistan in Super Six of Asia Cup.
Last night was unparalleled. At a stage that couldn’t have been bigger, it was Rahul’s act of self-restraint, along with Kohli’s brilliance, that saved blushes for the team. Rahul, however, would have loved to get his century too, and he looked dismayed when his glorious inside-out drive flew over the cover. Had it grassed before touching the boundary, the score would have levelled, meaning Rahul could try hitting another boundary to get his century. “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,” said Rahul. But having started off the tournament on such a great note, Rahul would feel at ease, and a century must be just a matter of time.
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