After settling into the No.5 spot in ODIs, KL Rahul has adapted well to the middle order. Since 2020, he has maintained an impressive average of 61.52 in that position—higher than any other batter with at least 20 innings, including Heinrich Klaasen. However, leading up to the Champions Trophy, India opted to adjust the batting order to introduce a left-hander in the top five, promoting Axar Patel to No.5 and moving Rahul down to No.6. Despite the shift, Rahul has embraced the challenge and worked on improving his boundary-hitting abilities.
“Yeah, I do [enjoy batting at the top], I mean I won’t lie,” Rahul told Star Sports after helping India secure a place in the final. *”It’s after opening the batting in Australia in Test matches and having to face that attack in Australia and you know how red-ball [cricket] is much harder. I opened the batting there and then to come here and bat low seems a bit different, but this is how I’ve played white-ball cricket in the last four-five years.
“So, I’m quite used to going up and down the order, so I’m just happy getting a chance to play in the middle and whatever role is given. I think it’s really helped me understand my game a lot more, and I’ve had to work on boundary hitting a lot more in the last year or so because the last ODI we played in Sri Lanka I batted at No.6, so I knew that’s where I’ll be batting and [we] needed a left-hander in the top order.”
Stepping Up in the Champions Trophy
Ahead of the tournament, India had a decision to make between Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the keeper-batter’s role, with Rahul ultimately getting the nod. In the semifinal against Australia, he came in at No.6 after Axar’s dismissal, with India needing 86 runs from 15 overs on a tricky Dubai pitch. When Virat Kohli was dismissed for 84, Australia sensed an opportunity, but Rahul shut them out with an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls, striking two fours and two sixes.
Reflecting on his position in the team, Rahul acknowledged the recurring uncertainty over his role but expressed confidence in his contributions.
“Honestly, I mean it’s since I think 2020 I’ve batted at No.5 and a lot of times people forget that that’s where I’ve been batting,” he said. *”And every time I perform in a series and then there’s a break from ODI series, ODI cricket and then we come back after four or five months, there’s a question mark again about ‘oh well will he play in the XI, where does he fit’ and sometimes I’m sitting there thinking what more can I do? Everywhere that I’ve been asked to play, I’ve played and I feel like I have performed my role.
“Whatever’s been told to me by Rohit [Sharma]—Rohit’s been the captain for the last four-five years—and whatever he’s told me, I feel like I’ve done that to the best of my ability. And I know that Rohit feels the same, and he’s always supported me and backed me with that. So, there’s that confidence going into the game that the captain has my back.”
Managing the Chase with Kohli
Despite Dubai’s fresh surface for the semifinal, the pitch remained slow and spin-friendly, making strike rotation difficult. Rahul recognized the need to take calculated risks, particularly while Kohli was anchoring the innings.
He targeted Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis, and Adam Zampa for crucial boundaries before Kohli’s dismissal at long-on. With Hardik Pandya also departing soon after, Rahul ensured India crossed the finish line alongside Ravindra Jadeja.
“When I walked in and when I played 10-12 balls, I told him that you’re the batter that needs to go on and be there till the end,” Rahul said of his conversation with Kohli. *”And let me try and hit or let me try and take one chance an over. Because like you said, we only needed six runs an over. But six runs an over on that wicket seemed like 8-8.5. So, you had to take one chance an over, one boundary or one six.
“So, I told him that I will do that, and why don’t you just rotate the strike and be there because you’re the set batter and it might be harder? If you get out, another set batter comes in, it becomes a lot more harder. But yeah, he felt like it was in his range to hit, and yeah, he didn’t time it well.”
With his well-paced knock, Rahul not only reinforced his ability to adapt but also played a crucial role in sealing India’s place in the Champions Trophy final.