Rahul aces the tough test

The contest may have eventually fizzled out as a damp squib with Pakistan barely putting up a fight but still nerves were palpable for reasons beyond cricketing. And no one could have felt them more than K L Rahul.

Just when the right-hander thought he may get an extended run at No 4 to prove his worth, he had to move back to open the innings along with Rohit Sharma. While it is his natural batting position, he wasn’t coming under normal circumstances. He was replacing an injured Shikhar Dhawan, who had cracked a sparkling ton in the win against Australia at The Oval. The fact that the management is willing to wait for the southpaw to be fully ready at least in time for the knockouts shows how much they value him as a batsman. So, the expectations were obviously high. The washed-out game against New Zealand didn’t help his cause either before a high-pressure game like Pakistan.

So, when India were put into bat first by Pakistan in overcast conditions on Sunday here at the Old Trafford, you would have expected the in-from Rohit to take first strike against Mohammad Amir. Puzzlingly, though, it was Rahul who was taking the guard against the left-arm seamer who was easily the best Pakistan bowler on the day. With 20,000 people constantly buzzing into your ears and over a billion people watching the match on television sets, it can be unnerving for someone who seems to be perpetually on trial. Instead of letting his senior partner get the first feel of the conditions, the youngster chose to take the bull by its horns. That was perhaps his way of making that statement of intent.

“Yeah, KL also likes to take the strike,” said Rohit when asked about his decision to let Rahul take first strike. ”For me, it was important to give him that because him coming off that mindset of taking the strike and playing the first ball, you know, I wanted to give him that. Again, that is his comfort. He is playing his first game as an opener here, so I wanted to make sure that he's comfortable,” he reasoned.

Not that Rahul set the Old Trafford alight with his stroke play. His strike rate was in the 40s at the start and never grew beyond 75 runs per 100 balls. He hit just three fours and two sixes in his 78-ball 57. Yet it was as crucial as Rohit’s 140 in terms of how they managed to negate the initial tough period and laid a strong base for a big total.

“You could say that to get to 330, you need a team effort,” said Virat Kohli after India won by 89 runs. “KL set a great foundation with Rohit, and Rohit after getting to 70-75 is unstoppable and he showed again why he's such a good ODI player. It allowed me to play a certain kind of role and it allowed Hardik to come and explode in the end. It has worked till now, gives us a lot of solidity in the middle and it is a role that I am happy playing for the team. It is going really nicely at the moment,” he summed up.

Taking the first strike, the Karnataka batsman started the innings with a maiden over from Amir and rarely played a shot in anger, barring one pulled boundary off the left-arm paceman that almost took the top edge. He was more measured than instinctive, more of an accumulator than enforcer and he came out of the test smelling like a rose.

“Obviously, Shikhar and Rohit have, in the last three or four years, they’ve been such a dangerous combo,” Rahul said when asked about filling in Dhawan’s shoes. “Their partnerships have, if you see anywhere in the world, they’ve played for so well for the country and they’ve been No. 1 and 2, and they’ve owned those positions. So, I had to wait for my chance, and I’m just happy that I got to bat in the top three.”

Rahul, in the past, has been guilty of frittering away his limited chances. While injuries have had a big influence in setting his career back every time he has taken a step forward, some of his impulsive decisions at the crease have had critics baying for his blood. The TV chat show controversy that led to his suspension along with Hardik Pandya and heavy flak that he received for his poor Test-match returns on the tours of England and Australia have, however, made him value his India cap more than he ever did.

"It (the chat show controversy) has humbled me,” Rahul had said after his suspension had been revoked. “I respect the opportunity that I have gotten to play for the country. The dream of every kid is to play for the country, and I am no different. Just to value where I am, just to keep making opportunities count and put my head down and keep working on my cricket."

Whether it’s at his unfamiliar No 4 spot or his favoured opening slot, Rahul has shown the right attitude and a sense of purpose in his approach. And the rewards have been trickling in.