KL Rahul made 112*, his highest ODI score, in the second match against New Zealand.
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri and Ian Smith praised India's star batsman KL Rahul for scoring his eighth ODI century against New Zealand in the second ODI on Wednesday.
Shastri praised Rahul's extraordinary effort, saying he deserved full credit for turning things around for India after going in to bat at 118/4. The pitch was slowing down, and the ball was becoming softer, but Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja formed an important partnership in a pressure situation.
KL Rahul’s 112* with 11 fours and one six took India to a decent 284/7 in 50 overs.
“When he came, it wasn’t easy. To do it the way he did, I think full credit. He came at number five today, but India was 118 for four at one stage when Virat got out. The pitch had slowed up a bit. The ball was a little older and softer, and two newcomers had come to the crease. Jadeja and he were both on zero, you know, when that partnership started. And then once he reached about 30 or 40, you could see the fluency. He started opening up and played some terrific shots," Ravi Shastri was quoted as saying in a video posted by BCCI on Instagram.
Rahul is a smart, mature cricket player who manages circumstances effectively, according to Ian Smith. He emphasized Rahul's ability to know when to accelerate and his adaptability, having batted in a variety of positions.
“He’s a very mature cricketer. He handles the situation well. Seen him open so many times. Seen him bat at six and we’ve seen him bat in between. He’s a very smart cricketer, and he’s got all the shots, and he knows exactly when to release the brakes," Ian Smith said.
Here is the video:
Unfortunately, KL Rahul’s brilliant century was thumped by Daryl Mitchell’s 131* and Will Young’s 87 runs as New Zealand won the game by 7 wickets and leveled the series 1-1.