Sunil Gavaskar showered praise on KL Rahul and declared that this is the version of the Indian batter that fans had been eagerly anticipating. Rahul put on a remarkable performance against the Netherlands in the ODI World Cup 2023. On November 12, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Rahul, in his hometown, made history by scoring the fastest century by an Indian in World Cup history.
His explosive innings featured an impressive 102 runs off just 64 balls, reaching the century mark in a mere 62 deliveries. This accomplishment surpassed the previous Indian record held by Rohit Sharma, who had taken 63 balls to score a hundred against Afghanistan.
Rahul's aggressive approach with the bat not only showcased his skill but was also a strategic move, emphasising the importance of attacking in the final 10 overs of the game. His collaboration with Shreyas Iyer, who scored an unbeaten 128 off 94 balls, propelled India to a formidable total of 411 runs for the Netherlands to chase. The dynamic partnership played a crucial role in India's commanding lead, resulting in a 160-run victory.
Rahul has maintained consistent performance throughout the World Cup 2023 for India. The wicketkeeper-batter has accumulated 347 runs at an impressive average of 69.40 and a strike rate exceeding 93. This includes a century and a fifty, with his highest score being 102 against the Netherlands. Among his Indian teammates, he ranks as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament, following Virat Kohli with 594 runs, Rohit Sharma with 503 runs, and Iyer.
In a discussion with Star Sports, as reported by Sportskeeda, Gavaskar expressed his delight in watching Rahul execute the pickup shot to reach his century. The cricket legend mentioned that this was the rendition of the Indian batter that fans had been eagerly anticipating for quite some time.
"For Rahul to get to that century with that shot, it was an incredible shot. We have seen him do that in the IPL. For him to bring it out in a World Cup to get to a hundred was just fantastic to watch”, said Gavaskar.
"This is what KL Rahul is all about. This is the KL Rahul we know and now we are finally getting to see that Rahul which we have been sort of dying to see for such a long time”, he added.
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