'Thought I'll take a good shower…': KL Rahul's Kapil Dev moment from 1983 WC, reveals Kohli's 'Test match' advice at 2/3

KL Rahul had just gotten out of shower when he realised what the Indian scorecard looked like, and rushed to out put his gear on.

After having kept wicket for nearly 50 overs in the scorching Chennai heat, KL Rahul would have hoped for some respite once the Australian innings ended at 199. He was slated to bat at No. 5, and going by how the Indian batting was coming together in the Asia Cup and then during last month's Australia ODIs, Rahul would have expected to give himself at least a good hour or so before it was his turn to put the pads back on.

KL Rahul during his knock of unbeaten 97 against Australia. (PTI)

Surprise, surprise! Contrary to his expectations, Rahul had approximately 45 minutes to swing back in action. 12 balls were all it took Australia to rattle the Indian innings at 2/3. Mitchell Starc had Ishan Kishan out caught behind, Josh Hazlewood trapped Rohit Sharma plumb in front of the stumps and then foxed Shreyas Iyer into playing an uppish drive straight into the hands of the fielder at covers. All three batters out of ducks, Australia on top.

As the Chepauk crowd was reduced to pin-drop silence, Rahul experienced his own Kapil Dev moment from the 1983 World Cup. The former India captain was in the middle of a shower break during India's match against Zimbabwe, but had to cut it short knowing his team was struggling at 17/5. "There weren't a lot of conversations (with Kohli). I had just taken a shower and was hoping to put my feet up for half an hour after the fielding innings, but I had to come in," he said while receiving the Player-of-the-Match award.

Rahul and Kohli then conjured a match-winning partnership of 165 runs that saw enough to get India over the line by six wickets. The surface at the MA Chidambaram stadium wasn't the friendliest of batting tracks either. It was two paced and the ball was stopping. With India not chasing a daunting total and with three down inside two overs, patience was the need of the hour. The man who Rahul joined in the middle, Kohli, had played just two deliveries, but it was enough for Virat to know what the pitch was offering. Pat came the advice; Rahul followed the advice of his former captain, and things started to fall in place for India.

"Virat said there's a bit in the wicket, so play like Test cricket for a while. There was a bit of help for the pacers with the new ball, and then the spinners also. In the last 15-20 overs, dew played a part and that helped quite a bit. The ball also skidded on better. However, it was a bit two-paced, it wasn't the easiest of wickets to bat on and it wasn't flat as well. It was a good cricket wicket, bit for the batters and the bowlers. That’s what you get in the south of India, especially Chennai," added Rahul.