During India’s net sessions in the 2025 Champions Trophy, KL Rahul would attempt one particular shot almost every time that he came out to bat. Maybe it was the forward defence as Rahul is renowned for sticking to the edicts of batsmanship? What about Rahul looking to perfect his cover drive or the flick? The answer to that question would be none of those. Believe-it-or-not, it was the scoop/reverse-scoop – A shot that you don’t associate with Rahul’s textbook batting manual.
However, right through the Champions Trophy, Rahul kept that shot in his locker and never employed it in any of the matches. Instead, it was roughly around a month later that he surprised fans by using it in the world of IPL, in a game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He went on to compile a breezy 53-ball unbeaten 93; a signal to his detractors that this is Rahul 2.0 in T20 cricket. Yes, it was the same Rahul who had accumulated his runs at modest strike rates of 136.13 and 113.22 in the 2024 and 2023 IPLs respectively.
Despite Rahul’s explosive pyrotechnics, there was a method to the madness on display. At the end of the 11th over, Rahul was on 29 off 29 deliveries as Delhi Capitals eyed a chase of 164. At that juncture, many would have believed that it was the same old Rahul, who goes about collecting his runs without really shifting gears. In Rahul’s defence, it wasn’t your quintessential Chinnaswamy deck of old. So, it demanded the batsman to adjust to the conditions on view.
“On a wicket like this, I knew what my pockets were. If I was going first trying to get a big six, I knew what pockets to target,” Rahul said in the post-most presser. “And, like I said, wicketkeeping just gave me a bit of a feel for how the other batters played and where they were dismissed and where were they able to hit sixes. So just those cues from behind the stumps really helped me in just getting a few balls in.”
With the asking rate climbing up to almost 11 an over, Rahul decided to charge the engine. He slog-swept Krunal Pandya into the stands, and then proceeded to smack Liam Livingstone for a four and a six to put the pressure back on RCB’s bowlers. And that was followed by Rahul exploring different parts of the ground while facing Josh Hazlewood. He then signed off in style with a couple of sixes off Yash Dayal. In the same over, he also brought out the memorable reverse-scoop.
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A salient feature of his batting was how he rarely lost the shape on his shots, alongside manoeuvering his opponent by using the depth of the crease. He also focused on playing shots in the ‘V’ and waited for the ball to come to him while essaying the pull, which in turn went well with a deck that was slightly tacky. Coincidentally, 19 of his runs came via the pull.
Slog-sweep, manufacturing room to hit it over mid-off, moving across the crease to thwack one over deep square leg and the reverse-scoop – The kind of shots that tell us that this is a different version of Rahul. A few days ago, after Rahul composed a 51-ball 77 against CSK, he had said this to the host broadcaster: “I’ve worked really hard on my white-ball game the last year or so. (A) big shout out to Abhishek Nayar.
“We’ve spent hours together talking about my white-ball game and how I can be better,” he stated. “Cricket has changed, and T20 cricket, especially, is only about hitting boundaries. The team that hits more boundaries and sixes ends up winning the game.” A clear shift in mindset as the same Rahul had once told – Strike rate is overrated. A statement that was used to troll the cricketer.
If Rahul continues to play with a sense of adventure, then all that relentless trolling would be replaced by praises. And the memories of his T20 batting echoed with strokes like slog-sweeps and scoops, along with the animated chest thump after steering DC to a win at a ground where he honed his skills.
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