KL Rahul, the captain Virat needs: How Kohli's two important centuries came under his leadership

Kohli celebrates his century with KL Rahul [Source: AFP Photo]

Cricket is a harsh game, as no one is immune to criticism, not even one of the greatest batters of all time, Virat Kohli. Despite scoring 51 ODI centuries (before the Ranchi ODI), his place in the ODI side was under scrutiny, and it was not due to his performances, but because of the transition the management wants in the ODI setup.

He was pivotal in India’s Champions Trophy triumph, but something happened after the marquee event. Kohli announced his sudden Test retirement and was forced to prove his worth by the chief selector, Ajit Agarkar.

So, a player with the most centuries in ODI cricket, and a player who has won countless matches for India on big stages, was urged to prove his worth in the format where he simply is the undisputed G.O.A.T. As Kohli has done time and again, he silenced his critics on Sunday with a magnificent 52nd ODI century.

The importance of KL Rahul in Kohli's two iconic hundreds

Interestingly, Kohli has had two phases where he needed to prove a point, and on both occasions, KL Rahul was the captain of the team. One was today, and the other one was during his the Asia Cup 2022 century that helped Kohli to break the drought.

The hundred on Sunday against South Africa and the one against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup were crucial in Kohli’s career, and perhaps, KL Rahul came like a blessing, as it was under his leadership that the legendary batter achieved the feat, and here’s the reason why the two centuries were the two pivotal landmarks in his legendary career.

Before the Asia Cup T20I century against Afghanistan, Kohli had not breached the 100-run mark in more than two years, as fans started to believe that he was past his prime and would never reach another century mark. Interestingly, his 70th international hundred came in late 2019, and since then, he faced a dry patch.

The Asia Cup in 2022 was also the tournament where Kohli was making his comeback after taking a break from the game. It was a dead-rubber contest for India, and as a result, Rohit was rested, and KL Rahul was made the captain. The former India captain opened the innings for his side and under the watchful eyes of KL Rahul, he broke the long-standing jinx and smashed a six to reach the hundred milestone.

There was a sigh of relief on his face and once the landmark was reached, there was no stopping Kohli as the world saw his 2.0 version across formats. The century allowed him to get out of the jail as the burden of not scoring a ton had taken a toll on his mind.

The Ranchi ton that silenced haters

History repeated itself as just like 2022, the team management had questioned Kohli’s place in the ODI side, and he was urged to prove his worth. Regular skipper, Shubman Gill, missed the ODI series due to a neck sprain, and in his place, KL Rahul was appointed the captain.

Just like 2022, the odds were stacked against the legendary player, and one failure would have made everyone believe that the selectors were right in forcing Kohli to contemplate his future. However, this is what separates the best from the rest, and this is where Kohli comes to life, especially when his back was against the wall.

Kohli had a fire in his eyes, as he was given the freedom by the skipper to play his natural game. The batter looked hungry for runs as he hammered seven sixes and amassed a blistering 135 off 120 balls to silence his critics in the best possible way. This was a much important innings for Kohli in the context of his career, and just like his 71st century, KL Rahul was once again the captain of the team and it brought the best out of the batter as he played a gem of a knock.

For sure, KL Rahul cannot teach Kohli how to hold a bat, but his presence as a calm leader made sure that Kohli crossed two major hurdles - Asia Cup 2022 ton, and the Ranchi century with utmost ease.

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