India vs Bangladesh, T20 World Cup: With Virat Kohli’s help, KL Rahul heals India’s major headache

As he reached his half-century, KL Rahul first raised his bat to the bench. Coach Rahul Dravid was seated there, clapping and applauding his batter’s efforts. And the player himself was returning the salutation, and why not? On the pre-match day, Dravid had spent at least 15 minutes talking about Rahul and why the team management would continue to back him.

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Then, at the other end, Virat Kohli stood applauding. He made his way to Rahul and gave him a hug. This is a hallmark of Kohli’s stay at the crease – he is not scoring runs for himself, but also totally engrossed in his partner’s knock. He celebrated their milestones as if they are his milestones. And that moment between Rahul and Kohli was another definitive throwback to India’s pre-match net session at the Adelaide Oval.

On Tuesday, Kohli and Rahul batted in adjacent nets, facing throw downs and spinners. Once they were, there was a long chat between the two. At times, Rahul tried shadow batting and playing through the cover. Kohli then shadow batted too and dictated how he pulls to midwicket. It was an animated discussion, one that didn’t go unnoticed.

Virat Kohli in a lengthy conversation with KL Rahul ahead of the Bangladesh match. The gesturing suggests the chat is about the rising ball outside off. pic.twitter.com/613epHRJmJ

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“We were discussing about how Australian conditions are a little different this time. We have been here before and played Test cricket, and we expected the wickets to play in a certain way. But that has not happened so far and it’s been more challenging this time,” Rahul said, after India’s thrilling rain-affected win over Bangladesh.

Rahul looks up to Kohli as the current batter he admires the most. Throughout his career, he has sought inspiration from his teammate. Even the churn that Rahul has undergone in his career, from a proper Test batter to an all-format batter, is down to the example set by Kohli. Of course, it hasn’t been an easy ride for him, quite dissimilar from Kohli’s journey in fact. And there is a good enough yet very simple reasoning for it. Rahul is not Kohli.

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What Kohli has achieved through his career, and what he is still continuing to do after overcoming his lengthy rough patch, is awe-inspiring. This is a batter cut above the rest, and conquering all formats across conditions has come easy to him. Just look at how he has conquered the Adelaide Oval. This is not a cricket ground anymore. It is King Kohli’s domain in the Australian countryside.

Very few batters achieve what Kohli has, and in trying to replicate him, others can sometimes unnecessarily overcomplicate stuff for themselves. Rahul falls in that latter category. Just compare how the two have gone about playing in this T20 World Cup, despite having similar uncomfortable build-ups to this tournament. While Kohli has identified with the conditions on offer, converting his struggle to fine form through sheer grit and determination, Rahul has found it tough to grind it out in the middle. In fact, he has found it tough to survive often.

“We were discussing about mindset and what we can do in the middle. I wanted to see if I could use something that he does in the middle, and if we could help each other. He has been doing really well these last few games and I was trying to understand his mindset, and what he was thinking in the middle,” Rahul further revealed.

This word – mindset – makes for a greater differentiation too. Despite his struggles against Pakistan, Kohli was determined to make a play at deliveries. He was trying to score at all times, even when trying to stay at the crease as long as possible. With Kohli, there is very little chance of getting bogged down. Even when the bowler is on top, he is looking to rotate the strike and trying to keep the score ticking.

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With Rahul, the struggle has been about staying at the wicket, but also about converting that stay into runs. Thanks to the bowler-friendly conditions, he has tried too hard to stay at the crease, in turn getting bogged down. His scoring rate has suffered thus, making him look ugly at the crease. Not to mention, India’s opening headache has soared with every game.

Wednesday night was another struggle in that regard. Conditions were overcast and windy once again, with bowlers on top. Rohit Sharma was struggling, and Rahul was fighting for survival. Despite losing his partner, Rahul persevered to find his timing just right. Kohli’s arrival at the other end arguably worked wonders for him.

This is why net sessions are useful. You get used to the pace and conditioning of the game, even if the in-match situation cannot be replicated. Rahul’s touch in those initial phases of the partnership was spluttering – he would hit a boundary and then retreat into his shell. Even so, Kohli kept the scorecard ticking by rotating the strike as well as picking the odd boundary. It helped take away pressure off Rahul.

Slowly, his touch returned. The standout shot of this innings for Rahul was a cut six, slashed over cover off Hasan Mahmud. It sailed over one of those shorter squarer boundaries, and yet it went deep into the stands. It was a firm hit, not one of a struggling batter, but of one keen on finding his rhythm. Of one, who was nearly back to his best! It reminded one of the many such strokes Rahul has played in the IPL as a more confident batter.

So, what does it mean for India going ahead in the tournament? As coach Dravid pointed out, it is all about who comes out on top in the remaining games (now three). India have a set plan to work with, and they want to garner momentum with the same combination heading into the knockouts.

Rahul, in that light, has helped team India get rid of a major headache in Adelaide.

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