India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul continued to deliver in ODIs and went on to play a superb knock of 112 against New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match series. The 33-year-old proved to be nothing short of a one-man army during the innings and single-handedly carried the team's total to 284/7 in 50 overs.
Rahul came out to bat with India having lost the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer and being down to 115/3 in the 22nd over. Virat Kohli would also depart soon after in the 24th over as the hosts looked to be in a spot of bothert. However, the duo of Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja steadied the side's sinking ship.
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As wickets fell on the other end, Rahul planted himself on the crease like a tree and kept on scoring runs on decent pace. He shifted gears in the final 10 overs and went on to bring up his century after facing 87 deliveries. He remained unbeaten and massively helped the hosts in handing a 285-run target to the Kiwis.
Rahul overtakes Dhoni on elite list
The century was Rahul's eighth in ODIs and it saw him break MS Dhoni's record of the most runs scored in an ODI innings against New Zealand by a designated Indian wicketkeeper. Dhoni had held the record since 2009 when he had played an unbeaten knock of 84 in Napier.
Designated Indian wicketkeepers with the highest scores vs New Zealand in ODIs
1. KL Rahul - 112* (2026)
2. MS Dhoni - 84* (2009)
3. Parthiv Patel - 56* (2010)
4. Rahul Dravid - 53* (2003)
5. Kiran More - 42* (1987)
Rahul's recent scores in ODIs
Meanwhile, Rahul also became the first Indian batter to score a century at the Niranjan Shah stadium in Rajkot. His innings included nine boundaries and a six that he scored to move into triple figures. This was his eighth century in ODIs and it also saw him equal his highest individual score in the format. Rahul has been in top form and had registered half-centuries in both the innings that he had played in the Men in Blue's previous home assignment against South Afrioca.