The great rock singer Jim Morrison once said, “I prefer a feast of friends to a giant family.” The American rock legend was highlighting his preference where it came to relationships and bonds of life.
In a cricketing parlance, what Morrison said perhaps makes sense about a certain KL Rahul.
For runs are Rahul’s friends and he prefers a lot many of them. With just 9 more in today’s game, should he get there at the Pune-bound World Cup clash, the right hander will take his tally to 200 one day international runs against Bangladesh.
And while someone like his captain, also the highest run scorer from India’s stable so far, has scored in excess of 200 runs on three separate occasions, Rahul’s efforts against Bangladesh haven’t in any way been minuscule.
How’s that, though?
Rahul’s highest individual score against a team whose key bowlers include Mustafizur, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and the likes, is 77. It was a fine knock, an inning of composure that came off just 92 deliveries and rather importantly, in the last edition of the ICC ODI World Cup.
The then fortieth match of the last World Cup edition, held at Edgbaston, saw Rahul produce a knock of composure that was laced by 6 boundaries and a six.
But out scoring his teammates, Kohli, Pant and Pandya, as he did on that occasion, wasn’t something that KL Rahul was stoked about; that his contribution helped India usurp their rivals on that occasion brought him much joy.
Eventually India won that World Cup encounter by 28 runs.
Since then, Rahul’s knocks against Bangladesh have read as follows- 73 at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in 2022, 14, 8, and 19, respectively.
Today, however, is a different day altogether ; there’d be the realisation that someone like a giant of the game in Shakib may not play at all.
Coupled with the fact that barring Litton Das, who scored a fifty in this World Cup and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, arguably Bangladesh’s best current all round player, there’s not an awful lot going for the team called the tigers.
But being touted as tigers and being one for real with the bat in hand is something quite different; in his case, KL Rahul could be called that.
One of the more inspiring cricketing stories of this year was when in the month of April, Rahul, seen on crutches being unable to walk thanks to the IPL injury, came back with aplomb in the recent Asia Cup.
His brilliant run-a-ball century against Pakistan at the R. Premadasa stadium was further confirmation that one of India’s most genuine strokemakers are back on song. Implicit in his famous ton was the 228-run-stand alongside Virat Kohli that took the living daylight out of Pakistan, India’s arch rival and strangely, a potent opponent that strangely ends up playing one sided games against Rohit’s army in ODI world cups.
Rather interestingly, Rahul’s 2023 one day form speaks volumes about his abilities with the bat, of which there’s hardly ever been a doubt.
647 of his 2407 one day runs have come this year alone; it’s taken KL Rahul 14 innings to produce these many runs, and those are many runs indeed. However, here’s the real kicker: in six of those innings, KL Rahul has remained unbeaten.
The man associated with elegant touches and silky wrist work has scored 5 fifties and a ton this year.
As the under pressure Bangladesh look to attack one of India’s finest, perhaps they’d be vary of his batting average that’s north of 80 and a strike rate north of 85.
Wondering what’s impressive, it’s KL and his wondrous achievements this year and on the whole that make opponents play as if they’re sporting some invisible L shaped sticker.
L for lots of runs for India’s stoic batter while in their case, L for learners. Right, India’s opponents?