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SA vs IND | KL Rahul Completes 1000 Runs In 2023 With Fighting Fifty In 2nd ODI

image-lqcfsueoKL Rahul in action [AP]

Indian skipper KL Rahul packed a fighting half-century against South Africa in the second ODI of their three-match series at Port Elizabeth. Arriving at the crease following the earlier dismissals of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and number three Tilak Varma, Rahul shared 68 runs with young Sai Sudharsan for the third wicket in a bid to rebuild the Indian innings.

During his knock, the wicketkeeper-batsman also completed 1,000 ODI runs in his profile in the calendar year 2023.

KL Rahul joins Virat Kohli and Rohit in elite 2023 club

After arriving at the crease at 46-2, stand-in captain KL Rahul was peppered with short balls from Beuran Hendricks and Nandre Burger.

The elegant right-handed batter survived the initial outburst and compiled a rebellious half-century to mark the 25th fifty-plus score of his ODI career.

The innings also helped the 31-year-old scale past the 1,000-run mark in 2023, achieving the landmark figure in just his 23rd outing with the bat. Rahul became the eighth cricketer in the world to complete 1,000 runs in 2023 and the fourth Indian to do so after ‘Men in Blue’ heavyweights Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and rising star Shubman Gill.

Proteas’ pace sensation Nandre Burger eventually dismissed the senior Indian batter after scoring 56 from 64 balls. He unfurled seven boundaries during the course of his knock and emerged as the second-highest benefactor of the Indian innings after fellow half-centurion Sai Sudharsan (62).

Rahul’s untimely dismissal against the run of play was followed by the early departures of Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav, as Team India lost its batting plot after the 68-run partnership between the skipper and young Sudharsan.