This victory will be extra special for Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. The duo who were blamed when India lost the ODI World Cup 2023 Final are the ones who have led the way in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal. One of them was the top scorer that day in Ahmedabad, and the same remains true today in Dubai as well. The outcome, however, is vastly different.
Virat Kohli & KL Rahul redeem themselves
They had to set that tempo as Team India batted first. The pressure of victory fell onto their shoulders. Kohli thrived, but KL Rahul was bogged down due to it. He was caught in two minds. Rahul has mentioned multiple times that he wishes to change the result of the final and would like to have a chance at playing that innings again.
He can’t have that. So, he decided to course correct in the present. There will be no intent debates now. Among batters who scored over 30 runs on the sluggish Dubai pitch, KL Rahul had the highest strike rate. He couldn’t end unbeaten on November 19, so he made sure he took Team India home today. And did so emphatically by smashing Tanveer Sangha for a maximum. Poetically, India sails into an ICC Final, and that’s because of Kohli and KL Rahul.
Latest Cricket News
- Is Virat Kohli back to his very best? 37-year-old makes huge revelation after Vizag ODI
- Gautam Gambhir’s record as India cricket team head coach
- Gautam Gambhir avoids back-to-back series defeats, but selection & tactics concerns remain
Coming to Kohli, he was once again at the centre of it all. In Ahmedabad, he couldn’t carry on after scoring a half-century, but in Dubai, he made sure to take the game deep. Steve Smith had anchored Australia to 264, and Kohli did what he’d done but only better. The chase master, completing 8,000 ODI runs in the second innings, couldn’t finish the match but was the reason why other batters found it easy to chase down what was the highest-ever chase against Australia in an ICC knockout match.
Milestones Virat Kohli and KL Rahul achieved
- KL Rahul – 3000 runs in ODIs
- Virat Kohli – 5000 singles (since 2000) in ODIs
- Virat Kohli – 8000 runs in ODI chases
Editor's Pick
Cricket
Gautam Gambhir avoids back-to-back series defeats, but selection & tactics concerns remain
Top Stories
