India vs England | Shikhar Dhawan’s dismissal helped me get my eye in a bit early, reveals KL Rahul

With the World Cup less than a year away, it was almost impossible for anyone to assume that Virat Kohli would bat at any position other than No. 3 position in any limited-overs matches for India. However, Kohli sprung the cat out of the hat at Old Trafford and allowed Rahul to bat at his position demoting himself to No.4, which worked like a charm as the Karnataka batsman went on to score a majestic century to lead India to an eight-wicket victory. 

While Rahul had previously been unsuccessful at any position other than the opening, it was, however, a difficult proposition for the team management, but Rahul stated that Dhawan’s dismissal in the first over meant he had the opportunity to bat in the powerplay, which helped him.

“I love to open. That is where I have always batted at the top of the order. One and two (the opening spots) is what I am most comfortable in. But to still bat at three, Shikhar got out pretty early so it still felt like I was opening and it gave me a chance to get my eye in a little bit and even use the first six . Whatever chances I get, I need to make the most of it. I am very happy that I got the opportunity to bat up the order,” Rahul said in the pre-match press conference.

India were the culprit of going to South Africa way too late and their decision of not playing any practice games meant they had to surrender themselves completely in front of the magic of South African pacers in the Test series. However, India didn’t do the same mistake in the series against England as they played a couple of matches against Ireland, which helped them understand the UK conditions better. Rahul also attested to the fact and insisted that the preparation is more balanced this time.

“Yeah we are. Our preparations have been very good. We came here a week before the series started. We went to Ireland and played a couple of games and we did really well there. We got exactly what we wanted out those two games as a team and as individuals.”

“We are going to treat it as one game at a time and we are not thinking too far ahead. We want to win this game and we will go onto Bristol and we would want to win that game as well. We are here to play some good cricket, be aggressive, and enjoy ourselves in the middle. For a lot of us it is our first time here in the UK, so every opportunity is gold for us. If we keep doing the right things and if we keep playing the way we played in the first T20I, I am sure that the results will follow."

India adopted a more horses-for-courses policy in their recent limited-overs matches and with all bases covered, they have players, who can cover for others with relative ease. The power-hitters in the form of Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni have often helped the side to a comfortable total if the top-order failed, and Rahul has credited the batsmen’s flexibility as a reason for the team’s unshakeable performance.

“It’s a huge advantage for the team that all the players are in form. We, as the batsmen, are very flexible in taking up the roles and responsibilities. For instance, we might get a good start and promote MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya up the order to accelerate. We need to understand what is best for the team,” the Karnataka opener said.

In the game, it was crystal clear that despite their superb performance in the limited-overs cricket post 2015 World Cup, their inability against spinners has been a case study. However, those fralaities came out wide open against the Indian wrist spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav as the latter picked up a five-wicket haul to plot England’s downfall. 

“It is not only about England. Wrist spinners like Kuldeep and Chahal can be difficult for any opposition. It was special from Kuldeep to pick a fifer as it is difficult to pick wickets in a T20I format. Not having Jasprit Bumrah in the XI is a big loss but Kuldeep and Chahal are bowling well and they going to be very dangerous throughout the tour,” he concluded.