KL Rahul's top five ODI innings

KL Rahul is in the form of his life at the moment. He is doing everything the Indian team management has asked of him so far and he has been delivering on all fronts. Change in batting positions, being behind the wicket with gloves on or leading the team, till now KL Rahul has delivered on all fronts.

Since KL Rahul was dropped from the Test team, he has looked extremely determined to make his mark and cement his spot in the limited-overs setup. In his short ODI career, Rahul has already played some pivotal innings and is being termed as the long term no. 5 for the Indian team.

Here is a list of top 5 ODI innings of KL Rahul for the Indian team.

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#5. 100* runs off 115 balls V Zimbabwe, Harare, 2015

Zimbabwe V India, 2015

KL Rahul became the 213th player to represent India in the 50-over format. The pressure is always there on a debutant irrespective of the opposition or situation. Zimbabwe had set India a target of mere 170 runs. The result was never a doubt, the thing to discover was which youngster would grab the opportunity and make an impression.

Rahul did just that by taking India through with 9 wickets left. He scored a huge six off the last ball of the match to reach to the 3 figure mark and became the first Indian to score a century on ODI debut.

Also see – ICC Women’s T20 world cup schedule

#4. 111 runs off 118 balls vs Sri Lanka, Leeds, 2019

Sri Lanka v India - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

India had already reached the semi-finals of the World Cup but this game was important to finish top of the table and not let the momentum drop off.

Sri Lanka set India a competitive target of 265 but KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma made a complete mockery of that as they added 189 runs for the first wicket inside 30 overs and brought up their respective centuries.

Rahul scored his first World Cup century with the help of 11 fours and 1 six.

#3. 102 off 104 vs West Indies, Vishakhapatnam, 2019

India v West Indies

West Indies had thrashed India in the first ODI and a strong reaction was essential to save the series. Rahul and Rohit Sharma did just that by adding 227 runs for the 1st wicket. By the time Rahul got dismissed in the 37th over, he had laid the platform for a massive total.

He went past his 3rd ODI ton and showed his hunger to score runs from any position. It was the quickest innings by KL Rahul as an opener where he scored 102 runs at a strike rate of 98 with the help of 11 boundaries.

#2. 80 off 52 vs Australia, Rajkot, 2020

KL Rahul

Without doubt, KL Rahul is the most flexible batsman in the Indian batting line-up. In the 3-match series, Rahul once batted at no. 3, once at no. 5 and once as an opener. However, this innings showed his potential to be a long term finisher for India in the 50-over format.

He scored 80 runs at an astounding strike rate of 153 with the help of 6 fours and 3 maximums. India added 140 runs in the 17 overs when Rahul was at the crease and provided the much needed impetus to the innings.

#1. 57 off 78 vs Pakistan, Manchester, 2019

India v Pakistan - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

It can't get bigger than an India-Pakistan World Cup clash for an Indian cricketer. Rahul had solidified himself as the number 4 for the World Cup but a finger injury ruled Dhawan out of the World Cup and Rahul had to go back to the opening slot again.

The pressure on him was huge to give India a steady start alongside the in-form Rohit Sharma. He scored a gutsy half century with the help of 3 fours and 2 sixes. It wasn't the most stylish or the most extravagant KL Rahul innings but it was an innings that gave India much-needed solidity at the top and the confidence to Rahul that he belonged at the level. Rahul didn't disappoint either as he went on to score 361 runs at an average of 45 in the tournament.