KL Rahul Shines with Century as New Zealand Levels ODI Series Against India

New Zealand Triumphs in Second ODI

In Rajkot, Gujarat, on January 15, New Zealand clinched a seven-wicket victory in the second ODI of the three-match series against India. Following the match, India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate praised wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul for achieving his eighth ODI century.

During the post-match press conference, ten Doeschate described Rahul's century as 'a quality hundred.' He elaborated on the team's strategy regarding the placement of all-rounders in the batting order, noting that Rahul's performance at number five has been pivotal.

'KL Rahul is undoubtedly capable of batting at number five; that was a quality hundred. Over the past 18 months, we have aimed to extend our batting lineup, often utilizing all-rounders either at the top or in the number five position, similar to Washington Sundar's role previously. With KL Rahul in form, he can consistently occupy that number five spot, allowing us to position all-rounders at six, seven, or eight, with Harshit Rana ideally filling the number eight role, which enhances our batting depth,' ten Doeschate explained.

In the match, India set a target of 284 runs, scoring 284/7 in their allotted 50 overs after being asked to bat first. Captain Shubman Gill contributed 56 runs off 53 balls, hitting nine fours and one six, while Rohit Sharma added 24 runs from 38 deliveries, including four boundaries.

Virat Kohli managed 23 runs off 29 balls, with two fours, and KL Rahul finished strong with an unbeaten 112 runs off 92 balls, featuring 11 fours and one six.

On the bowling front for New Zealand, Kyle Jamieson (1/70), Zakary Foulkes (1/67), Kristian Clarke (3/56), Jayden Lennox (1/42), and captain Michael Bracewell (1/34) took wickets.

Chasing a target of 285 runs, Will Young delivered an impressive performance, scoring 87 runs off 98 balls, including seven fours. He formed a remarkable 162-run partnership with Daryl Mitchell, who scored an unbeaten 131 runs off 117 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes, leading New Zealand to their highest successful ODI chase in India.

With this victory, New Zealand leveled the ODI series at 1-1. For India, Harshit Rana (1/52), Prasidh Krishna (1/49), and Kuldeep Yadav (1/82) were among the wicket-takers.