Mr Cricket UAE

KL Rahul’s rescue act to rampage: The art of hitting the old ball

Share
KL Rahul (Source: X/@BCCI)

KL Rahul (Source: X/@BCCI)

Rishabh Beniwal

Rishabh Beniwal

Published - 04 Oct 2026, 06:44 PM Read time - 5 mins

KL Rahul had all the reasons to fail during the third ODI against West Indies on Saturday, October 3, at PCA International Cricket Stadium, Ground A, New Chandigarh. He had not batted in professional cricket for 40 days and saw his teammates plunder runs on a belter of a track in the first two ODIs as he impatiently waited for his turn, which, much to his misfortune, never arrived.

However, when it finally did arrive, he found himself in the middle facing a herculean task of rebuilding the team’s innings with an inexperienced lower middle order. A failure would’ve condemned him to merciless trolling on social media with unnecessary speculations about his future. But KL Rahul was determined to write a different script to bail India out of trouble once again.

Rahul walked to the crease after the fall of Rohit Sharma’s wicket, who had rescued the team from a precarious position of 4/2 alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad with a 137-run stand for the third wicket.

India were on 141/3 after 24.4 overs at the time of his arrival, which quickly turned to 160/4 in 28.5 overs as even a well-set Gaikwad (57 off 69) returned to the pavilion after edging Jayden Seales to point. The next in line were Naman Dhir, who was batting for the first time in international cricket, followed by Anshul Kamboj on his ODI debut and Nitish Kumar Reddy with just seven ODI caps to his name.

A daunting task

With this weakened support, Rahul not only had to rebuild the innings but also guide India to a good total. He started off well, rotating the strike with utmost ease before finding his groove with back-to-back boundaries against Vitel Lawes.

At the other end, Naman Dhir also didn’t hold back and whacked Jayden Seales for successive fours. The duo particularly targeted the West Indies speedster, bringing up a 65-run stand off 43 balls. Against the run of play, Dhir (30 off 21) holed out to cover, leaving Rahul alone with 14 more overs remaining in the innings.

While the death overs were considered a bowler’s graveyard in ODIs over the last decade, the changes in ICC playing conditions that allow only one ball to be used after the 34 overs have brought more balance to the game, with the art of reverse swing making its comeback.

Hence, Rahul had to navigate through this tricky period all on his own while ensuring that the run rate doesn’t take a hit. Most batters would’ve crumbled under the magnitude of the challenge, but someone like Rahul, who’s made his career batting at different positions for the team’s sake, was more than ready for any challenge which came his way.

“I think for me it’s really important to prepare well, and I put a lot of focus on how I prepare. I am someone who sits down and thinks about how I want to play my cricket, how I want to bat in certain scenarios. When I’m batting at number five, I won’t say there’s a fixed template, but there’s a little bit of a blueprint in my head as to this is how I’m going to play in ODI cricket. And there’s a different game plan for the Tests too. That, for me it’s most important,” said Rahul in a video released by the BCCI.

An onslaught like no other

He first brought up his half-century off 41 deliveries and played the waiting game with Nitish Kumar Reddy also departing for 9 (16), leaving India on 250/6 after 41 overs. Rahul then guided a shortish delivery from Keemo Paul towards third man for a four as India welcomed their first boundary after 32 balls.

Anshul Kamboj (17 off 9) also came out swinging his bat at everything, allowing Rahul to take a backseat before the final onslaught. After getting a couple of reprieves, he set himself up to put on a hitting masterclass in the death overs.

Out came the lofted shot over the bowler’s head, a hoick over deep mid-wicket and suddenly India’s rock of the middle order stood strong against everything thrown at him, quietly moving into the 90s.

The last two overs of the innings were a complete six-hitting masterclass as Rahul first pulled Seales over fine leg to bring up his ninth ODI century. He then followed it up with a majestic lofted straight drive, launching the ball into the Chandigarh airspace as it came crashing down and thudded into the sightscreen.

Two more colossal sixes and a boundary meant that Rahul finished the innings with his highest score in ODIs (129 off 87) after clobbering ten fours and six sixes and taking India over the 350-run mark (351/7).

The preparation to counter reverse swing

What seemed like a routine knock by Rahul was a carefully crafted innings, who, by his own words, gives utmost importance to preparation. And staying true to it, he didn’t just arrive in Chandigarh to see how his innings pans out but came fully prepared to counter the reverse swing threat.

"I have been doing this [middle-order] role for the last six-seven years. But in the last year and a half, since the ball changes happened, it has been very different. It has not been easy to get 80-90 in the last ten overs. The ball has been reversing, and even today, Alzarri [Joseph] was [getting it to reverse],” Rahul said after the match.

He also gave a glimpse into his preparation to hit sixes with the old ball.

"And when the ball gets soft, you don't feel confident enough to take on long-on and deep midwicket. I have always batted at the top of the order; I like a hard ball so that I can use the pace. So that's something that I have been working on - trying to play with softer, older balls and being able to hit sixes with that,” he added.

Rahul’s innings unfortunately ended in a losing cause as it was overshadowed by West Indies captain Shai Hope's 162* (143) chasing masterclass. Hence, a terrific rescue act from India’s ‘Mr Dependable’ vanished into oblivion. His another heroic effort didn’t find the happy ending it deserved. 

The innings is another reminder that a few good things remain hidden from the spotlight, far away from the recognition of glittering awards. Despite that, Rahul wouldn’t think twice before orchestrating another rescue act for the team. Because some people love to do the hard job, even if it doesn’t get them what they deserve.