India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has transitioned well into the role of middle-order batter and has given many impressive performances. Though he had began his international career as an opener, he has adapted well to the role of batting at No.5 and 6 and has played important knocks for the team in their recent ODIs. He held his nerve and played an inbeaten cameo of 29 as India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in first ODI of the three-match series.
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Rahul for maintraining his composure in pressure situations and pointed out that the latter looks to comfotable at the crease in death overs while other batters tend to struggle. He also highlighted how difficult it is to bat in the final few overs of an innings.
“When KL Rahul bats, people often ask why he is batting so low. But we need to keep in mind that the rule has now changed because the ball reverses slightly after the 34th over. If the ball doesn’t reverse, it is slow. In those situations, a technically correct batter makes a difference. Other batters were getting slightly troubled in the first ODI but Rahul was well in control,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Rahul has adapted well to the middle-order
Rahul had taken up the role of playing in the middle-order in the 2023 ODI World Cup and after not being able to perform at his best in the first few games, he has adapted well and has drastically improved his performances. He had registered two half-centuries in as many innings against South Africa in the three-match ODI series. The 33-year-old is quite happy to bat in the middle-order and highlighted the advantages of batting in the role.
"I honestly walk in and look at the scoreboard and see what I need to do for the next few overs. If I'm opening the batting, obviously, I get, a lot of overs and most of the overs I can plan that, and that's something that I've done throughout my life, so I never had to plan or think about how can I be consistent in that phase," Rahul told broadcasters after the match.
"Honestly, I think batting at five or six has helped me understand my batting a lot more. It's a completely different challenge. I walk in at a stage like that where you need to hit a boundary properly from ball one and, and there's so much pressure and there. You have 5 fielders outside. When you're opening the batting, you don't see fielders at all. Everyone's right next to you, so it's much easier batting there," he added.
India in the lead
Meanwhile, India have taken a 1-0 lead in the ongoing series against New Zealand by winning the first ODI by four wickets. They will now be looking to clinch the series by emerging victorious in the second game that will be held on January 14 at the Niranjan Shah stadium in Rajkot.