How KL Rahul Turns Pressure Situations Into Match-Winning Moments

ByAnupam Pandey,SportsCafe Editor

Today at 7:31 PM

KL Rahul has been named as the Crisis Man for a reason. Whether he plays for India in Tests or ODIs, or even for his domestic team, he has been able to deliver his best. Recently in the quarter finals against Mumbai, Rahul scored a ton for Karnataka.

‘Pressure? What pressure?’ are the lines which would completely suit the Indian wicket-keeper, KL Rahul. He has improved his batting skills a lot lately, which has helped him to be the team's crisis man. Whether the team requires someone to open in Tests, he is there; whether they want someone to be a finisher in ODIs, he is also there.

And recently, when the team is busy with the T20 World Cup, Rahul is busy giving some finest knocks. He is a part of Karnataka’s team for the Ranji Trophy, and even played in the quarter finals against Mumbai. His knock has turned out to be helpful for Karnataka to reach the semis of the tournament.

1. Rahul's Ton Powers Karnataka

Karnataka and Mumbai went against each other for the quarter finals of the Ranji Trophy. The match started with Mumbai batting first, and Karnataka had the upper hand from the very start of the game. The team was able to bowl out Mumbai for just 120 runs in the first innings of the game. Rahul also took 2 catches in this innings.

On the other hand, Karnataka had a few challenges in their innings. But with Mayank Agarwal scoring 92 and KL Rahul scoring 28, the team finished their innings at the score of 173. Now it was time for Mumbai to bat once again and set a target for Karnataka to chase down.

The team went on to score 377 runs in their second innings, and now the bowlers had to do their job. The target of 325 runs seemed a bit challenging to chase in the fourth innings of the game. Anyone could have thought it to be an easy win for Mumbai, till KL Rahul decided to be the Crisis Man for Karnataka.

He came to open for the team and stayed till the target was almost achieved. When KL Rahul lost his wicket, Karnataka was already standing at the mammoth score of 266 runs. With 6 wickets in hand, the other batters went on to achieve the same and this helped Karnataka to win by 4 wickets.

In his knock, KL Rahul scored 130 runs off 182 balls, which had 14 fours and 1 six. He also got the much needed support from Ravichandran, which helped him to take Karnataka over the line. Still, it was KL Rahul who took the main role in this chase, and didn't let Mumbai get the win.

2. Other Crisis Man Chases

This is not just the first time when KL Rahul played the role of a crisis man. He has given various other match winning performances for his team, which helped them to get over the line.

India A vs Australia A

Recently, KL Rahul also played for India A team against Australia A. While he was not expected to be a part of the playing XI due to fever, he still had to play the game for the team. The Indian bowlers did not have a good time on the field, as the team was given a target of 412. Rahul alone went on to score 175 runs in this game, despite battling fever.

India vs Australia: 2023 World Cup

India and Australia played their first game of the 2023 World Cup against each other. And this was a close game for the team, as Australia was bowled out early with the Indian bowlers taking the upper hand. When the chase started, India quickly lost the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer.

At this moment, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul played a masterclass which helped to take India over the line. While Kohli lost his wicket in 80s, Rahul went on to score 97 runs and remained not out in the game. India was able to start off their tournament with a win, as Rahul rescued the team from 2/3.