When KL Rahul Injured Himself During IPL 2023

image-lqgbshkqKL Rahul taken off the field [X.Com]

India made history by clinching the ODI bilateral series against South Africa, securing a 2-1 victory in the third ODI in Paarl. KL Rahul led his team to a remarkable triumph at Boland Park, marking India's second-ever ODI bilateral series win on South African soil.

KL Rahul joined an elite club, becoming only the second Indian captain, after Virat Kohli, to win a bilateral ODI series in South Africa. The remarkable aspect of this achievement lies in the absence of key players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami.

Despite losing the toss and being compelled to bowl first, India displayed resilience in the first innings at Paarl. Sanju Samson played a crucial role, notching up his maiden international hundred, while Tilak Verma contributed with his first ODI fifty for India, bouncing back from a sluggish start in the series decider at Boland Park.

The stand-in Indian skipper faced 35 balls to score 21 runs before losing his wicket to Wiaan Mulder in the 19th over. However, even during his short stay at the crease, Rahul achieved a milestone by surpassing 1000 runs in ODIs in 2023. This accomplishment made him only the second Indian wicketkeeper to achieve such a feat, emulating the legendary MS Dhoni.

Rahul's feat mirrored Dhoni's records of scoring 1000-plus runs in ODIs in a calendar year. Dhoni had achieved this milestone with 1198 runs in 2009 and 1098 runs in 2008 in the 50-over format. Rahul's accomplishment serves as a repeat of history, coming 14 years after Dhoni's achievement.

When injury ruled Rahul out of the WTC Final

The 31-year-old batter's journey has been nothing short of sensational since his comeback during the Asia Cup 2023. Prior to his comeback, doubts loomed over Rahul's fitness when he suffered an injury during the 2023 IPL.

In a match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rahul suffered a tendon tear in his right leg while chasing a ball in the second over. Despite the injury, he bravely walked out to bat at No. 11 during a tense chase of 127, unable to run between the wickets. This incident led to his exclusion from the remainder of the IPL and the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which India lost to Australia.

In his comeback game, Rahul showcased his resilience by slamming a remarkable unbeaten 111*, guiding India to a massive total of 356 runs against Pakistan. Since then, Rahul has consistently piled up runs for the Men in Blue.