- KL Rahul during his unbeaten 70 runs knock. Source: BCCI
Left out of the Test team after a string of underwhelming performances, much was said about KL Rahul being given a long rope. And the trolls had an absolute feast going after him for days on end. The injury in the IPL did not help and some even rejoiced, saying good riddance, when he wasn’t available for the WTC final. In fact, had it been KL instead of KS (Bharat), the final might have been a different story. Centurion was proof, and how.
India were struggling at 93-4 when Rahul came out. And within a few minutes, he saw Virat Kohli, who had batted with grit and determination, get out to a beauty from Kagiso Rabada. The ball pitched in line, and there was little Kohli could do. With only the lower middle order left, Rahul had to do a VVS Laxman. Remember Durban in 2010? The brilliant 96 that won India the Test match? That’s what was needed from Rahul, and let me say it was a tall ask in extremely difficult batting conditions against a fired-up Rabada.
A few body blows notwithstanding, Rahul looked composed. First, with R Ashwin and then with Shardul Thakur, he went about his task with a sense of calm that would have made Laxman proud. And soon after Shardul got out for a very well-played 24, it was all Rahul. No, he did not panic. Rather, he was smart. Knowing that the South Africans would get the field in after four balls in the over, thinking he would try and farm the strike, Rahul went after balls 5 and 6. And that’s where India scored a mental victory.
Make no mistake, this isn’t a bad score on this wicket. As at the Wanderers in 2006, India’s first Test win in South Africa, something in the region of 250 could well be par. With a six over extra-cover and one over third man to add to a boundary over mid-off, Rahul, it was evident, was playing to a plan. Out came the pull shot on more than one occasion and the Indian score, which ran the risk of not crossing 180, was all off a sudden at 208-8 when play was called off for the day. Rahul’s fantastic unbeaten 70 had made sure that it was only just South Africa’s day.
He continued in the same vein after a delayed start on the second morning. Watchful in defence, and ruthless when the bowlers erred in line or length. The languid drive, the punishing cut and the dismissive pull were all in evidence as he surged towards a second successive hundred at Centurion. A glorious pull for six off Gerald Coetzee brought up his eighth Test ton, and one of the best ever made by an Indian batsman overseas.
With Rishabh Pant out, there is every reason to think he is India’s best bet to keep wickets and bat in the middle order. Keeping wickets, holding the middle order together and batting with the tail – there is not a thing Rahul can’t do at the moment. And he isn’t finished yet.
Sample this from 2019 – The Indian team had just finished their fielding drills and left for the batting nets, which were located just outside the Old Trafford ground on the eve of the Pakistan game in the 2019 World Cup. Only a few of the support staff were still there clearing out the equipment and trying to ensure everything was in order. That’s when I noticed Rahul standing alone just looking at the pitch, which was under covers with all the rain around. He seemed somewhat lost in thought. As he was doing some stretching, you could sense a very different purpose in his body language.
Rahul, clearly, was ready. As the two of us made eye contact and waved to each other in acknowledgement, one could sense he was as focussed as he could ever be. This was his chance at redemption, to set things right, after the reality-show controversy had threatened to derail his career. He did just that and set the match up for India. In fact, the way he left the ball in the first over itself was a statement.
For the longest time, Rahul has been his own opponent. With an abundance of talent, he has not been able to deal with the weight of expectations. That’s what Rahul needed to win against. He is his own opponent, for with his talent, he will succeed more often than not. All he needs to do is conquer the mental demons and he would be in full flow like he was at SuperSport Park.
Can he power on from here and get India to 240-250? Can Rahul score a second 100 at Centurion after the gem in 2021? For his fans, Rahul is penning his own story. And needless to say, it is a story of survival. Can there be bigger redemption for Rahul after all that he has been through? Perhaps not, and truth be told, he knows it better than anyone.
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