Cricket
Cricket
KL Rahul’s 5 best performances in T20Is
Take a look at the highlights of KL Rahul’s best performances in T20 internationals for India.
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KL Rahul has made rapid strides in his international career since debuting for India.
Having established himself as a talented Test player, he has put in commendable performances in shorter formats of the game to prove that he is the perfect all-format batter.
As a regular opener for the Men in Blue in T20 cricket, KL Rahul has put in some exciting performances and made the shortest format of the game his own.
Rahul has stood out with his ability to strike the ball clean and long, and is effortless with his big shots. The work he has put in to become a technically-correct batsman has shown in his T20I average of 43.95 and strike rate of 149.23.
Here we take a glance at some of his best T20I knocks.
1) 110* runs (51 balls) vs West Indies – Lauderhill in 2016
Chasing a mammoth 246 for victory against West Indies in the 1st match of the T20I series played in the United States of America, India were kept in the game by a bullish Rahul, who came in at no.4, and smashed a stunning 46-ball century, the second-fastest in T20I and the fastest by an Indian. He remained unbeaten at 110, having it 12 fours and five sixes.
2) 101* runs (54 balls) vs England – Manchester in 2018
Chasing 160 for a win against England at Manchester, Rahul knocked off a ton in 54 balls after walking in behind the openers. India lost Dhawan early but Rahul took charge of the run-chase alongside Rohit Sharma. He slammed 10 fours and five sixes in the innings, and scored a lion’s share of 61.96% of all the runs India made. He remained unbeaten till the end to help India win the match.
3) 89 runs (49 balls) vs Sri Lanka – Indore in 2017
Against Sri Lanka in Indore, Rohit Sharma and Rahul put on 165 for the opening wicket, with Rahul regularly rotating strike in favour of the Indian stand-in skipper. Rahul was on 46 in 33 balls when Rohit was dismissed; he smashed 43 in his next 16 balls to thwart the challenge by the Lankan bowling attack. Carried by Rahul’s explosive knock, India made a record-breaking 260/5 in the innings and won the match by a whopping 88 runs.
4) 71 runs (47 balls) vs England – Nagpur in 2017
Opening alongside Virat Kohli against England, Rahul composed a superb 71 in 47 balls studded with six fours and a couple of sixes. With the middle-order deserting him after a 30-run opening stand, Rahul had the additional responsibility to guide India to a challenging total. He remained at the crease till the 18th over and helped India to 144 in its quota of overs. India eventually won by 5 runs.
5) 70 runs (36 balls) vs Ireland – Dublin in 2018
At Dublin in the second T20I against Ireland, Rahul made a statement-evoking 70 at a strike rate close to 200 after opening the innings alongside skipper Virat Kohli. While Kohli departed early, Rahul combined with Suresh Raina in a 106-run partnership and slammed six maximums in the knock. India made 213 in the innings with Rahul winning the Player of the Match award.
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