The horrific flashbacks of the infamous 5/3 resurfaced when the Men in Blue were reduced to 2/3 in the next World Cup match against Australia in front of a packed Chennai crowd on Sunday.
Three wickets in a single-digit score in a World Cup game involving India – sounds familiar, right? The horrific flashbacks of the infamous 5/3 resurfaced when the Men in Blue were reduced to 2/3 in the next World Cup match against Australia in front of a packed Chennai crowd on Sunday. While chasing a modest 200, India had the worst possible start to the campaign with the willow.
Mitchell Starc, a World Cup giant, dismissed Ishan Kishan with an away swinger on a golden duck. Josh Hazlewood also found his immaculate line and length straight away to dismiss the captain Rohit Sharma and a reliable Shreyas Iyer. It would be harsh to blame the shots from Kishan and Iyer.
The plan was to make the most of the new ball, for it was arduous for the batters to hit out the spinners on that tedious Chennai track. The Indian spinners had run riot in the first innings, as they changed the game flow during the second half of the Australian innings. But that is a different point.
None of it mattered, as the scoreline read 2/3. In walks KL Rahul with the master Virat Kohli at the other end. Going by the KL’s history overall, it looked just a matter of time before another wicket.
Rahul is known to go into the shell and become tentative when the pressure mounts. It had happened several times in the past. His 4(8) against Pakistan in Melbourne last year is a classic example.
However, what transpired next re-affirmed that KL Rahul, the middle-order batter, is built differently. Unflustered by the chaos before his arrival, Rahul shielded his three stumps and left a ball outside the off stump alone. Unlike his typical self, Rahul was calm and focused from the first ball.
It was fitting the first authoritative and first boundary shot came from KL Rahul’s willow. Josh Hazlewood tried going fuller to drive Rahul forward, but the batter creamed it with panache. It wasn’t just a boundary; it was a statement.
Rahul stated that India are not going to panic after the ‘45 minutes of bad cricket’ anymore. The middle order is continually ready to rescue after an unwanted passage. The nerves of the dressing room and fans calmed down quickly as Rahul looked assured like never before.
Even while defending, the ball hit the sweet part of his bat. Virat Kohli did give a few scares from his end, but Rahul was pristine on a tricky deck. Slowly, things eased down, as they generally do, to put India in the driver’s seat.
Also Read: WATCH: Virat Kohli and KL Rahul reveal strategy in the middle during nervy chase against Australia
A 165-run partnership between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul would have done a world of good to India’s confidence. While the rubber wasn’t a knockout, and a defeat wouldn’t have ended India’s campaign, the run-chase provided an assurance. Virat has been doing this for a long time, but Rahul had barely done it.
When India lost three wickets for five runs against New Zealand four years ago, the then No. 5, Dinesh Karthik, became insipid and blocked everything coming his way. He had no intention of scoring runs, and even his defence looked a shot away from another dismissal. Karthik scored his first run on the 21st delivery, a boundary, but he survived only four more balls.
KL Rahul could have done the same, and no one would have blamed him. However, he remained positive and pounced on every scoring opportunity along with Virat Kohli, who, despite a few loose shots, was active significantly. Both played on the merit of the ball and gained control in no time.
Obviously, the conditions in Manchester four years ago were a lot stiffer, but Rishabh Pant’s valiant 32-run knock depicted the importance of positive cricket even then. Barring a few strokes from Virat, the duo didn’t force things and faced things as they came. Rahul’s way of countering Adam Zampa was a thing of beauty.
Glenn Maxwell tightened his end and conceded only nine runs in his first four overs. The spinners had just wreaked havoc in the first innings, and Adam Zampa, who has a licitly good record against the Indian batters, was going to be India’s biggest threat. Even more than the two new-ball bowlers who took the three quality batters by storm earlier.
KL Rahul unleashed his spin masterclass and dispatched Zampa for three boundaries in his maiden over. Rahul played late, noticing everything the ball did, and placed them perfectly. Praise his cut shots for the entire year and a lot will still be left to appreciate.
Rahul picked the lengths precisely and used Zampa’s pace adeptly to release all the pressure of the first 17 overs. His foot movement was so assertive that he looked to be playing on a different surface altogether. From the other end, Virat Kohli also cut the dot balls and nudged the ball all around to keep the scoreboard ticking.
The Adam Zampa threat became negligible immediately, and he sprayed his lengths all around. It’s not easy to force Zampa to make any error. He took four wickets on the same ground only eight months ago to help Australia win the series.
Great show by KL Rahul & Virat Kohli takes India home💪#INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/LSr2ha7e1a
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) October 8, 2023
When Kohli lost his wicket on 167, India had sealed the game by then. All it requires is one concrete partnership to chase down such totals. It was the second-best partnership for the fourth wicket or below in a World Cup game for the Indian team.
Hardik Pandya wasted no time and completed the task with KL Rahul to earn India an early win in the event. The highlight, however, was the resilience of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. They made the conditions look easy by their proactiveness.
India have always been blessed with skilful top-order batters capable of winning matches single-handedly. What they missed was assertion and stability from their middle order. India’s competent top three have been doing the bulk of the job, leaving only minimal work for the middle and lower middle order.
It never let India think too much about the middle order. And when they collapsed occasionally, the middle order seemed out of sorts. To India’s misfortune, those collapses arrived when they could least afford it.
However, the current middle order is not only skilled immensely but also capable of handling pressure. While Shreyas Iyer failed this time, he has done the rescue work several times in this format. KL Rahul is a different beast in the middle order, whereas Hardik Pandya enjoys the big stage. Hardik stands tall when the odds are against the team, as visible numerous times.
KL Rahul 🔥🔥#KLRahul pic.twitter.com/pOlzW60oUf
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) October 9, 2023
When India went to the World Cup in 2019, they had an unsettled No. 4, and they tried different players on this spot. Amidst a slump in the semifinal, Dinesh Karthik came out of nowhere at No. 5. It’s hard to blame the players when there is no role clarity.
There is clarity and role awareness in the current middle order. When Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were away from the action due to injuries, India tested other players, and the results weren’t abysmal at all. Still, when the duo returned, they were slotted in their pre-allotted batting positions straight away.
The results were there immediately; they never looked rusty. Suryakumar Yadav has been a constant failure in the ODIs, but the team management has backed him to the core and even included him in the World Cup squad over Sanju Samson.
A team can never prepare for collapses, for no top-order batter would lose their wicket deliberately just to check the other batters. To instil confidence in the middle order, the team just need to stick with the same players, even after a few failures. When they play continuously, there will automatically be instances when the side will require more from them.
It’s a continuous process, and India have done well in that aspect leading into this World Cup. The top order will always do the heavy lifting. It’s imperative to select batters skilled enough to be flexible and gauge the match situation.
The current lot ticks every box. They have all shown their adaptability at times. No wonder India got out unscathed against Australia despite being in familiar trouble.
Forming a concrete opinion from a win would be an exaggeration, given it was still a league game and not a must-win as well. But this performance must have lightened the pressure on the top three to perform almost every time. That familiar early mayhem might not be the worst thing for the Men in Blue to kick off the tournament.
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