In the highly anticipated final of the ICC Cricket World Cup at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra praised KL Rahul for his resilient half-century against Australia. Despite being the “most trolled Indian cricketer in the last 12 months,” according to Chopra, Rahul showcased his mettle in the World Cup final.
KL Rahul’s Fighting Half-Century Shines in the ICC Cricket World Cup Final
KL Rahul’s performance in the tournament has been commendable, scoring 452 runs in 11 matches at an impressive average of 75.33 and a strike rate of 90.76. With a century and two half-centuries, including India’s fastest World Cup century against the Netherlands, Rahul currently stands as the eighth-highest run-scorer in the tournament. Alongside Shreyas Iyer, who has been another batting stalwart for India with 530 runs in 11 matches, Rahul has played a pivotal role in India’s campaign.
KL Rahul’s outstanding form in ODIs this year as a middle-order batter is reflected in his statistics, amassing 983 runs in 24 ODIs and 22 innings at an average of 70.21 and a strike rate of 88.63, including two centuries and six fifties.
In the final, Australia chose to bowl first and managed to restrict India to 240 runs in 50 overs. On a challenging batting surface, the contributions of skipper Rohit Sharma (47 in 31 balls), Virat Kohli (54 in 63 balls), and KL Rahul (66 in 107 balls) were crucial. Mitchell Starc, with figures of 3/55, led the Australian bowling attack, while Pat Cummins (2/34) and Josh Hazlewood (2/60) also played significant roles. Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell chipped in with a wicket each.
The playing XIs for both teams were as follows:
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (w), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.