India captain Rohit Sharma is of the opinion that low-scoring close matches bring with them lots of learnings for the whole team. Required to chase down a 216-run target in the recently concluded second ODI against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, India lost their top-order within the first powerplay to unintentionally throw the onus on the middle-order.
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It was an assuring need-of-the-hour 119-ball 75-run fifth-wicket partnership between wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul (64*) and vice-captain Hardik Pandya (36) which put India in a comforting position at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Thank you, Eden Gardens 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/7U1swCGvLO
— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) January 12, 2023
“It was a close game but games like these teach you a lot. We had to build an innings under pressure. KL [Rahul] has been batting at five for a long period of time now and it gives us the depth,” Sharma told Star Sports during the post-match presentation ceremony.
KL Rahul stats as wicket-keeper batter in ODIs
Coming in to bat at No. 5 in the 10th over, Rahul himself batted for over 100 balls to respect the situation and opposition’s bowlers before nonchalantly guiding his team to a 4-wicket victory with 40 balls to spare.
In 13 ODI innings as a middle-order wicket-keeper batter, Rahul’s 637 runs have come at an average of 63.70 and a strike rate of 104.08 including a century and six half-centuries. It would be an understatement to say that the 30-year old player has adjusted pretty well to his new role in the Indian ODI XI.
Rohit Sharma unsure of India Playing 11 for 3rd ODI vs Sri Lanka
With India gaining an unassailable 2-0 series lead in a three-match series, the general consensus would be of making changes to their Playing XI for a dead-rubber ODI in Thiruvananthapuram. Sharma, however, kept his cards close to his chest saying that he wasn’t sure about tinkering with a winning combination at the moment.
“Maybe, I don’t know. We haven’t thought about it yet. Once we reach Trivandrum, we’ll have a look at the pitch and have a look at some of our guys. There are three ODIs coming up against New Zealand as well. So, we need to keep the guys fresh,” Sharma added.
