'Nice to Get…’ KL Rahul Reflects on His Second World Cup Ton

image-lovhudg7KL Rahul smashed a 62-ball hundred [AP Photo]

After smashing his second World Cup hundred against the Netherlands in Bengaluru on November 12, Indian vice-captain KL Rahul expressed satisfaction with the time spent in the middle, emphasizing the importance of building confidence while batting at number 5.

Rahul smashed the fastest century by an Indian batter in World Cup history, reaching the milestone in just 62 deliveries. The wicketkeeper-batter's impressive innings included 11 fours and four sixes, contributing to his 102 runs off 64 balls. Notably, this marked Rahul's sixth ODI century.

Here's KL Rahul's reaction on his heroic knock

In a post-match interview following his remarkable performance, Rahul shared his thoughts on his innings. He acknowledged the significance of hitting sixes towards the end of the innings, highlighting the straightforward approach of going hard in the slog overs.

"Not gotten a lot of time (in the middle) in the last two games, so it was nice to get some time today. Batting at 5, it's important to get that confidence, it was a good knock. Getting that confidence to hit sixes towards the end was important. It's not rocket science, got to go hard in the last 10 overs. Tried to get as many runs as possible, that was the plan, the ball gets softer, so hitting sixes at the back end becomes difficult,"  said KL Rahul while speaking to the broadcasters during the mid-innings break.

Reflecting on the team's overall strategy, he mentioned that executing clear game plans has been key to their success throughout the tournament. Looking ahead, Rahul emphasized the importance of winning the upcoming game and expressed anticipation for the semifinals.

"It's just not this game, everyone has a clear game plan, we have been executing it (our plans) pretty well. Need to win this game and look forward to the semis," added Rahul.

Regarding his role as a wicketkeeper, Rahul admitted that it can be challenging at times, but he enjoys being actively involved in the game.

"It (keeping) gets difficult sometimes, but I enjoy being involved in the game, the bowlers have challenged me during DRS calls, but they don't give me enough credit (on DRS calls),"  concluded Rahul.

Rahul, along with Shreyas Iyer (128*), orchestrated a remarkable 208-run partnership. With substantial contributions from Rohit Sharma (61), Shubman Gill (51), and Virat Kohli (51), the team achieved its second-highest total (410/4) in a World Cup match.