India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup: KL Rahul makes a triumphant return with sixth ODI ton after months of uncertainty

KL Rahul’s life took a turn for the worse on 1 May when he was leading the Lucknow Super Giants against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium. Rahul was giving the ball a chase hoping to prevent a boundary when he ended up picking a thigh injury that would turn out to be much worse than initially expected. The journey since has been a roller-coaster. The wicketkeeper-batter would end up getting ruled out of the remainder of LSG’s campaign and would then undergo surgery on his right thigh that would further extend his time away from the cricket field. Rahul would then have to watch his teammates take on, and eventually get outplayed by Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final, and was nowhere close to match fitness when the Men in Blue travelled to the Caribbean and the United States to take on the West Indies. Injuries are part-and-parcel of an athlete’s life and among the objectives of those who take up sport professionally is to keep them at a minimum. Injury layoffs, however, can do more than just physical harm to an athlete; it can take momentum away from an individual going through a purple patch, instil doubts in one’s mind, dent one’s confidence among others. Read | ‘My tendon ripped apart from my quadricep’: KL Rahul For Rahul, time away from the sport also meant increased pressure to retain his spot in the side upon return. Rahul, however, did not allow the setback to dampen his sense of determination. “I am officially on the road to recovery now. I am determined to get back to my best and get back on the field. Onwards and upwards,” Rahul wrote in an Instagram post after undergoing surgery in London. He would subsequently put in the hard yards alongside Sheyas Iyer, under the watchful eyes of VVS Laxman at the National Cricket Academy in his hometown of Bengaluru. The hard work did yield results as he finally got the thumbs up from the NCA staff in time to make the Asia Cup and World Cup squads. Read | Rahul posts emotional message after being included in World Cup squad There was but one final box left for him to tick — make an instant impact upon returning to the cricket field. And boy did he make the opportunity count during the Asia Cup Super 4s clash against Pakistan in Colombo. A comeback for the ages Though part of the squad, Rahul missed India’s Group A fixtures against Pakistan and Nepal in Pallekele as he was yet to reach hundred per cent fitness. That opportunity finally arrived after the team shifted base to Colombo for the next round. Rahul took part in the nets session for batting and wicket-keeping to confirm his availability for Round Two against the arch-rivals at the R Premadasa Stadium. There had been plenty of debate over his selection in the side especially since Shreyas Iyer had cemented himself at the No. 4 slot and Ishan Kishan had excelled as a replacement with four ODI fifties on the trot. His inclusion in the XI ultimately was a last-minute call with Iyer ruled out with back spasm. Rahul took his place at two-down and Kishan retained his spot in the middle order. Four months since that forgettable evening in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul was back on the cricketing field in an elite event. He arrived at the crease at a time when skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill had laid the foundation for a big total with a sizeable 121-run opening stand. Both Rohit and Gill, however, departed in quick succession and Pakistan would have been sniffing an opportunity to trigger a batting collapse and seize control. Virat Kohli had begun cautiously at one end, hoping not to commit the kind of mistake that had resulted in him getting dismissed for four in his previous outing. Rahul, on the other hand, announced himself in style with a couple of boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, the two pacers who had decimated the Indian top-order in Pallekele and reduced them to 66/4. Both would pitch it short to him, and Rahul would respond with a set of crisp pulls through the mid-wicket region. The reserve day would then be activated after incessant rain ensured no further play was possible on Sunday. Though Kohli and Rahul once again started off on a cautious note in order to gauge the possibility of a change in conditions, it was once again the latter who took on the role of the aggressor. This time around, Afridi and the rest of the seam attack would focus on bowling slightly fuller to Rahul, only for the batter to respond with some superbly-timed cuts and drives. Against the spin duo of Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed, he preferred bringing out the expansive sweeps, targeting the square-leg and backward square-leg regions. Or, using his feet to get to the pitch of the delivery that resulted in a couple of majestic inside-out lofts down the ground.

Foot on the gas, ball to the fence! 💥@klrahul accelerates & takes the attack to the bowlers, getting to a handsome 5️⃣0️⃣ on his return from injury! 👏

Tune-in to #AsiaCupOnStar, LIVE NOW on Star Sports Network#INDvPAK #Cricket pic.twitter.com/W5AxFT4OVc

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 11, 2023

The shot of the day arguably came off Rahul’s bat in the 35th over. Rahul had swept Shadab towards the backward square-leg fence at the start of the over for a four and decided to charge down the track on the following delivery after the leg-spinner decided to alter his length. Instead of swinging his arms wildly, Rahul opted to roll his wrists for a neat little flick, which somehow sent the ball not just past the fence but into the stands. The fact that he was able to generate such power, that too off a delivery that hardly had any pace on it, was a sign of a man who hadn’t lost the slightest bit of touch. The shot might not top Kohli’s six off Rauf at the MCG last year, but it certainly was close in terms of quality. Rahul was relatively sedate in getting to his half-century, bringing up the milestone in 60 deliveries. He would, however, shift gears after getting to his fifty and would consume only 40 deliveries for the next 50, marking his return to highest level with his sixth one-day international ton. Read | Netizens hail Virat Kohli and KL Rahul's 'outstanding' centuries While his effortless shot-making was indicative of a man who hardly lost his touch and is in great form during a crucial period in the cricketing calendar, any doubts that persisted over his fitness were dispelled by the fact that he spent more than 33 overs on the field in the company of Kohli - an individual known to be quite demanding when it comes to running between the wickets and converting the ones into twos. “Today, KL got a great start and my job was just to rotate strike. I take a lot of pride on trying to push for easy runs, pushing for a double is as easy as they come. “Great partnership and good signs for Indian cricket. Very happy for him to come back to ODI cricket in that manner,” Player of the Match Kohli said after the game, which India ended up winning by a humongous margin of 228 runs to collect their second win on the trot. That wasn’t all as far as Rahul’s contributions were concerned. He also took over the wicketkeeping gloves from Kishan shortly after the restart of the Pakistan innings even though the latter was the designated gloveman for the game. Rahul even collected a catch off Shardul Thakur’s bowling to help snuff out Mohammad Rizwan early. Skipper Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid will still have it tough when it comes to settling on the ideal middle-order combination going into the business end of the Asia Cup as well as the World Cup that takes place on home soil starting 5 October. Rahul, however, has ensured that despite Kishan’s heroics in recent months - both as a batter and keeper - he remains firmly ahead in the pecking order.