KL Rahul reveals the reason behind his decision to open in the second ODI

KL Rahul [PC:Twitter]

Riding on Shardul Thakur's spectacular bowling performance and Sanju Samson's blistering knock, India handed Zimbabwe a crushing five-wicket defeat in the second ODI of the three-match series today. 

Despite being a regular number five batter in the ODI setup, India captain KL Rahul partnered Shikhar Dhawan at the top, surprising a few experts and fans. 

However, in the aftermath of India's thumping victory, the dashing right-handed batter revealed what prompted him to open in the match. 

Rahul fell prey to Victor Nyauchi [PC: Twitter]

In the post-match presentation, the dashing right-handed batter said that he opened the innings to get some game time under his belt as he was making a comeback after a long hiatus. The 30-year-old also regretted missing the opportunity as he was dismissed cheaply by Victor Nyauchi in the second over. 

"Good for the guys to get some time in the middle, I do need some time in the middle. Obviously playing the series was important for me to take some runs and confidence away, unfortunately it didn't work out today."

Rahul also heaped praise on the Zimbabwean bowling attack for making the chase tougher for the Indian batting unit. Although India have already sealed the series, the Karnataka-born batter asked his troops to play with full intensity in the dead rubber scheduled on Monday. 

Also Read: ZIM vs IND, 2nd ODI: Clinical India outclass Zimbabwe to clinch the series