The 31-year-old displayed resilience and skill as he smashed an unbeaten century, scoring 111 runs from 106 balls. His outstanding innings played a crucial role in India’s commanding 228-run victory over Pakistan.
In an interview with Star Sports after achieving his sixth One Day International (ODI) century, Rahul admitted to feeling nervous initially, given the magnitude of his return to international cricket.
13:11
KL Rahul’s comeback, Virat Kohli’s record-breaking streak and Kuldeep Yadav’s fiver: Big takeaways from India’s record win over Pakistan
“Obviously, this is my first international match after a long time. I played a couple of practice games, but we all know the intensity is not the same. So when I walked in, I had that initial nervousness,” said Rahul.
However, Rahul quickly regained his composure, saying, “It took me 10-15 balls to just calm myself down and get my feet moving, get my mind thinking of the right things. Then, when I hit one or two boundaries, all those things, the fogginess in your clarity, went away, and it became like before.”
Rain interruptions added an extra layer of complexity to Rahul’s innings. He and Virat Kohli (122 not out) had to restart India’s innings, which was halted on the previous day due to rain, with the team at 147 for two in 24.1 overs.
Reflecting on these challenges, Rahul explained, “I was looking at the ball, looking at the situation, and you see what you have to do. But just when I got my rhythm, it started raining… and I had to wait for a whole day. Today we came back and had to wait for the innings to start. So, again, the first 10-15 balls were sort of nervy, and after that, once you start to hit a few balls in the middle, you forget about those things, and then you start thinking about where you can score runs and what I have to do.”
Despite these obstacles, Rahul’s partnership with Virat Kohli proved to be the turning point of the match. The duo shared a remarkable 233-run partnership for the unconquered third wicket, propelling India to a formidable total of 356-2.
Speaking about his partnership with Kohli, Rahul praised the Indian captain, saying, “He has hit 13,000 runs. I can’t say anything about that man; he is just phenomenal. Words are short to describe what a great cricketer he is, and I’ve always felt comfortable playing with him in the middle.”
(With PTI inputs)
