Oct 3, 2022, 1:46 PM IST
After letting his bat talk amid fuss concerning his slow strike rate, Indian wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul disputed his detractors, saying that he bats as per the "demand of the innings." Rahul hissed with a 28-ball 57 in India's series-clinching 16-run triumph over South Africa in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) to hush his backbiters on Sunday. The Indian deputy captain's strike rate came under the scanner during the Asia Cup 2022 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and his 56-ball 51 against South Africa in the series opener at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
"Yes, going at a higher strike rate was a demand of this innings. When you are batting first, you want to give yourself a couple of overs to assess the conditions to see what shots you can play, you talk to your partner," Rahul quoted during the post-match press conference.
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"You give yourself a target, then try and play accordingly. We've always tried to be more aggressive and take many risks. That was what I needed today, and I'm happy it came off today," added Rahul. With his impressive wrist work, Rahul was seen hitting a couple of sixes effortlessly over a fine square leg.
"Yes, there's a specific gift all of us have. That's why we are playing for the country. We have gotten this far because there are naturally particular talents. It's T20 cricket. You have to get in position to try to hit sixes. When the balls come at 145 km/h, you don't have much time to see the ball and react. You hit with instinct. It's a lot of practice over the years," stated Rahul. India's aggressive approach with the bat was a deliberate effort after the last ICC T20 World Cup beating in the UAE, where India failed to qualify for the knockouts.
"That effort has been there for the last 10-12 months since the last World Cup. We have consciously tried to get better at that [scoring going big while batting first]. We've done it whenever we've gotten opportunities. Something took back, and that was our learning," reckoned Rahul.
Bowling is not a concern
Rahul rescued India's under-fire pacers, who had another shoddy outing on Sunday. Defending 237, India reduced the South Africans to 47/3. Still, the hosts could not break the 174-run stand between David Miller and Quinton de Kock. The pair almost led the Proteas to a unique conquest.
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"If it was such a big concern, I don't think we would've won so many games. It's never that one skill that wins you games. We always want to keep getting better as a team. Today was one of those days when our bowlers couldn't execute seven out of 10 balls, but that doesn't mean it will keep happening. We need to learn and get better at it," Rahul explained.
"In the last game, they restricted the team to 106 and today they went for runs. You have to consider the conditions and pitch," added Rahul. Pacer Arshdeep Singh, who dismissed Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw in three balls in his opening over, spread 62 runs in his four overs, while pacer Harshal Patel had the flawed figures of 4-0-45-0. Both are in the T20WC-bound squad.
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Rahul, who hit a straight half-century, counted that the dew made it demanding for the bowlers to get a grip on the ball. "It was humid, and there was dew, so it was hard for the bowlers to grip the ball, and when the opposition is chasing 240, you know batters are going to come hard, try and smash every ball. In a format like this, you will have good and bad days both as batters and bowlers. It's a high-intensity and high-risk game," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)