India vs Australia: ‘He showed maturity and class’ - Virat Kohli identifies ‘biggest takeaway’ from Rajkot win

India vs Australia: KL Rahul smashed 80 runs in 52 balls after he came down to bat at no. 5 in the 2nd ODI against Australia.

India captain Virat Kohli identified the ‘biggest takeaway’ from the win in the 2nd ODI against Australia at Rajkot. The hosts were entering the contest after a 10-wicket thrashing in the first ODI at Wankhede, in which the skipper was criticised for altering with the batting order, and coming down to bat at no. 4 instead of his usual no. 3 position. But at Rajkot, Kohli resumed his usual position, and KL Rahul came down to bat at no.5 after Shreyas Iyer. The strategy worked in India’s favour as Rahul smashed 80 runs in 52 balls to help his side post a total of 340/5 in 50 overs. After India’s 36-run win, Kohli praised Rahul for his performance at the post-match presentation ceremony.

India's captain Virat Kohli, left, celebrates with teammates the dismissal of Australia's Mitchell Starc. (AP)

“It’s important to not leave someone like KL out. You saw how he batted today. This is probably the best he’s played at the international level. The knock showed maturity and class, and we know exactly what we’re doing in the dressing room,” he said.

Kohli also went on to praise his bowlers for the crucial yorker deliveries, but added that Rahul’s performance at no. 5 was the biggest takeaway from the match.

“I asked the bowlers what they wanted to do and they said this was the time to execute the yorkers. All three of them were really good with the yorkers, particularly Shami who changed everything in that over. But the biggest takeaway for me was KL at 5. KL is becoming a multi-dimensional player, and it’s really great when players step up like this,” he said.

With the win, India levelled the three-match ODI series 1-1, with the decider to be played Sunday at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.