Indian opener KL Rahul was surprised after he was chosen as the Man of the Match as India defeated South Africa by 16 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Sunday. Rahul scored a fine knock of 57 runs off just 28 balls with the help of five fours and four sixes to score his runs at a strike rate of 203.57.
In fact, there has been a lot of talk regarding Rahul’s sedate strike rate in the recent past since he has made a return to the national team however he was able to put that to bed. Rahul was able to time the ball to perfection and made the most of the PowerPlay overs.
On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav continued his dream form as he once again played a magnum opus knock. SKY scored 61 runs off just 22 balls as he scored five fours and as many sixes. The right-hander scored his runs at a strike rate of 277.27 and put the game beyond South Africa with his blistering batting.
KL Rahul said in the post-match presentation, “It does [feel satisfying on playing two contrasting knocks in the first two games]. It is important as an opener to understand what is required on a day and give it your best. It is the mindset I have always played in and will continue to do the same. Satisfying to test yourself in different conditions. Quite honestly, after the first two overs, the chat between me and Rohit was that the pitch was gripping. We thought 180-185 would be a good target. But the game surprises us. I am surprised I am getting the Man of the Match award, Surya should have gotten it. He changed the game. Having batted in the middle order, I have realized that it is difficult.”
Rahul heaped praise on Dinesh Karthik for finishing the innings on a high and also gave credit to Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, who added 102 runs off just 42 balls for the third wicket. The flamboyant batter admitted that he bats at his best when he scores on both sides of the wicket.
Rahul added, “DK doesn’t always get too many balls to face, and he was phenomenal, and so were Surya and Virat. The back foot punch off the first ball set me up. When I play both sides of the wicket, I know my balance is good. It tells me my head is stable. The crowds always turn up in India. It has been a while since cricket has been played in full stadiums. Phenomenal to see.”
Rahul scoring his runs at a strike rate of more than 200 is a great positive for the Indian team and he will look to continue in a similar fashion. The third T20I will be played on Tuesday in Indore.
