K.L. Rahul’s 108 in 99 balls against Bangladesh in the second warm up match has raised pertinent questions over his inclusion in the team’s playing XI. After failing to make an impact against New Zealand in India’s first warm-up match by scoring a mere 6 runs, he took this opportunity to shine for the men in blue.
With both Dhawan and Sharma falling flat to the overcast conditions, KL Rahul came in to bat at No.4 when India was reeling at 50 for 2 in the 14th over. He went on to hit a classy hundred in 94 balls, also sharing a partnership of 164 runs with MS Dhoni, who scored a hundred as well. His hundred included a wide range of shots, slamming twelve fours and four sixes into the stands
He has been struggling in the Test format since the South African tour last year. After suffering the embarrassment of a BCCI suspension (for passing derogatory comments on the popular talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’), he sealed his spot in the world cup squad by emerging as Kings XI Punjab’s best batsman in Vivo IPL 2019. "Time-out from the game gives a player an opportunity and time to reflect on himself and his cricket. It wasn't any different for me" said the Karnataka Batsmen.
Experts predict the pitches in England to be flat with short boundaries — making 350-plus scores highly likely. The England line up has got the top six batsmen — Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and captain Morgan, easily chasing down targets above 300 in recent times. With both Sharma and Dhawan failing to make an impact in the warm-up matches, it could come to the middle order batsmen to score at times of need.
With West Indies setting a total score of 421 against New Zealand today, it hints at a World Cup where team effort will be crucial to scoring and chasing large targets.
To this end, one of the major concerns of the Indian cricket team has been over who would fill the No.4 slot in the batting line up. The No.4 player has to play the roles of both anchor and aggressor, which demands flexibility. “The biggest positive from today was the way K.L. [Rahul] batted at No. 4, everyone else knows their roles. It is important that he gets the runs and he is such a class player,” said Virat Kohli after the warm-up match against Bangladesh.
With all-rounder Vijay Shankar and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as possible contenders, will K.L. Rahul seal the No.4 spot? It is up to Captain Kohli, but Rahul’s hundred has certainly come at an apt moment.
