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KL Rahul’s mantra: Stay calm and tick off ODI wins
KL Rahul excels in the ODI middle order, showcasing resilience under pressure and a strong average, while reflecting on his growth as a player.
Rajkot: “I just want to be in the eleven, put me anywhere,” KL Rahul said in a post-match interview at Vadodara, minutes after he had deposited Kristian Clarke in the stands in a 17-run over to take India over the line against New Zealand in the first ODI on Sunday with one over left.
Playing down his performances or not, Rahul has made that middle order role his own, besides keeping wicket. Some of those working with the 33-year-old feel Rahul can achieve bigger things if only he was assertive with his body language. Harshit Rana though praised his guiding hand after scoring a vital knock that helped tide over a tricky phase.
A lot of the success Rahul has found in the middle order is put down to his being unfazed under pressure when wickets fall and the asking rate climbs. His mind seems tuned to calculating the winning equation. The body language argument is more to do with Rahul realising his true value.
Rahul the ODI batter has carved a niche for himself that few others can match. Take how the match was won on Sunday. In the over before Rahul walked out to bat, India had lost the set Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. One over later, Shreyas Iyer, who was batting on 49, was bowled. From 234/2, India slipped to 242/5. Though the asking rate was manageable at 6.5, with Washington Sundar nursing an injury Rahul knew he had to stay till the end. But for Rana’s lusty hitting making the chase easier, Rahul perhaps would have found another gear.
That’s how Rahul took India home in the 2025 Champions Trophy final. India have never lost an ODI when Rahul has remained unbeaten (13 times). It shows Rahul’s worth as an ODI finisher.
Kohli did that a lot, but the tempo of the game has gone up a notch and the No.3 would rather take the extra risk and trust the middle order to finish the job.
Rahul has now batted more in the middle order (44 innings out of 84), and his average is outstanding (55.0) like his career average (49.95). His strike rate gets significantly better too (95.1 from 79.7 as opener).
“Batting at No.5 and 6 has helped me understand my batting a lot more,” Rahul told the broadcasters. “It’s a completely different challenge. I walk in at a stage when you need to hit a boundary from ball one and there are five fielders outside. This is a lot more pressure, one mistake and all the blame comes on you. But it’s exciting and I am grateful that every time I have been put under pressure, I have been able to make it work for the team.”
This batting template of Rahul is one for future India wicket-keepers to adopt. Dhruv Jurel has been chosen as a backup over someone like Ishan Kishan because he has shown signs in his short career that he possesses the ability to soak in the pressure and find strokes when fielders are spread out. Even Shreyas Iyer, who bats at No.4, can become a more finished article if he absorbed some of Rahul’s methods. In the Champions Trophy final in Dubai and in Vadodara, he threw it away with victory in sight.
Rahul was seen practicing specific shots in specific stimulated situations at Shivaji Park in Mumbai before getting into the series. “Up until 2022, I was playing three formats. So, there wasn’t as much time away from the game to think how to improve as a cricketer. I have had a lot of injuries, so I have focussed on my fitness as well,” he said.
Rahul is not in the T20 World Cup team, to be played in India and Sri Lanka. And he’s found a way to use his time well. “At this stage I am going with everything that’s coming…success, failure. It’s that kind of mindset that helps me perform well.”
