KL Rahul's defensive approach costs India the World Cup: Post-Match analysis

By Ovaise Shariff | First Published Nov 21, 2023, 12:13 PM IST

In the aftermath of the Cricket World Cup 2023 final clash between India and Australia, KL Rahul finds himself under scrutiny for his innings of 66 off 107 deliveries.

KL Rahul, despite being India's leading run-scorer in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final with a score of 66 off 107 deliveries, has faced criticism for his lackluster strike rate. The defeat to Australia in the final highlighted India's shortcomings in various aspects of the game, with former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik specifically pointing to Rahul's performance.

Kl Rahul knock will be remember for ages
Arguably one of the worst innings of all time🙏
He almost face 20 overs which is more than enough to have a decent strike rate
66(107) 1 fours 2 fours from over 11 to40 over lowest in Wc
Puré selfish knock deniki under pressure ani name 🙏 pic.twitter.com/xedkJNRMZO

— Kiran reddy (@kiranreddy32241)

Malik emphasized that Rahul's attempt to bat through the entire 50 overs was not the right approach. Instead, he suggested that Rahul should have played his natural game and been more proactive, especially in rotating the strike during challenging conditions when boundaries were hard to come by.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

During a discussion on A Sports, Malik commented, "KL Rahul was just trying to bat through the 50 overs. He should not have done that and should have tried to play his game. If you're batting in tough conditions and the boundaries aren't coming easily, then at least you've got to rotate strike. That wasn't happening, there were a lot of dot balls."

Malik also highlighted the Australians' superior understanding and adaptation to the Indian conditions, particularly on the Narendra Modi Stadium track with long side boundaries. According to Malik, Australia effectively restricted India from hitting down the ground and used variations well, showcasing a better execution of their game plan.

Misbah-ul-Haq echoed similar sentiments, noting that while Rahul is known for playing spin well and using various parts of the field, his approach in the final seemed cautious, possibly due to a lack of trust in the other batters. The aim of reaching 250 runs became challenging, leading to difficulties for the team.

The defeat in the final marked another missed opportunity for India to secure an ICC title, and for key players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, it may have been the last chance to claim a third ODI World Cup title. The team now faces the task of regrouping and formulating a better strategy for future competitions.

Also Read: WC Final: Did India crack under pressure or was it a bad day at the office? Sports psychologists explain

For more reliable and latest news