Seasoned ODI keeper-batter KL Rahul reflected on his ninth One-Day hundred in New Chandigarh, which he scored in a losing cause, as West Indian captain Shai Hope’s 162* helped the visitors complete their highest successful run chase in One-Dayers.
Rahul scored an unbeaten 129 after India elected to bat first. His blistering knock included 10 fours and six sixes, helping India register a formidable 351/7. Revealing a bit of India’s plan in the middle overs for the World Cup, Rahul also insisted on how the management wants to give probable World Cup squad members an extended run in this format.
While India’s top order pulled off their highest successful run chase in the second ODI in Guwahati, hunting 406 with eight wickets remaining, the West Indies turned the tables in the final game in New Chandigarh by completing their highest successful chase in the 50-over format.
“We don’t want to go too far away from the plan but also experiment a little bit as a batting unit. The goal so far has been about can we score 330-340 while batting first, but we’re seeing that 340s and 350s get chased down very easily in one-day cricket.
“So, how can batters, once set, keep pressing on and get 370s and 380s, or push for 400 on a given day? The minute we, as middle-order batters, go in, the aim is to ensure that we do not take too much time to get going and start rotating the strike and keep hitting a boundary every six or seven balls.
“The coach and captain have been very clear on the personnel they want to bring in. They want to give a longer rope to certain players who we feel might be important for the World Cup,” Rahul explained in a chat with JioStar after the third ODI.
Meanwhile, Rahul has also expressed keenness in spending more time in the middle in the lead-up to the showpiece event in Africa late next year. While he did not get to bat in the first two ODIs, with India’s top three completing the job, Rahul made the most of his chance in the final One-Dayer, smashing an unbeaten hundred.
“I wanted to spend more time with the bat out there in the middle, and the last time I really got to bat for a long duration in ODI cricket, in the middle-order, was in early January this year against New Zealand, and since then I haven’t really got a lot of time to play a long innings,” Rahul said.
The middle-order batter will be seen in action next in the ODI series in New Zealand.