Chris Gayle’s ball stroke has waned in the recent past, but he would still be among the top picks in many T20 XIs. Not for the Kings XI Punjab though, despite scoring more than 150 for them in 24 innings over the past two seasons. That the Kings XI have the luxury of shutting out the Boss of the Universe to accommodate a young middle-order foreign hitter is due to the presence of another boss at the top: KL Rahul.
At IPL 2018, Rahul peaked as a T20 hitter, winning a fifty of 14 balls against Delhi Capitals, the fastest in the IPL. In that season, he took more risks at the top and often went into overdrive, scoring 158.41. At IPL 2019, he went from configuring games to taking more responsibility and deepening them. He hit 135.38 and attributed that decline to his evolution as a starter. He no longer wanted to be just a gallant at the top; He wanted to make the most of his starts and finish games for his team.
In the first Kings XI game of the current edition, Rahul’s starting teammate and childhood friend Mayank Agarwal took the game deeper against the Capitals. However, they couldn’t close that and ultimately lost in the Super Over. In his second game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, it was Rahul who hit in the innings and drove it almost to perfection. He finished 132 unbeaten in 69 balls, the highest score by an Indian in the IPL and fourth highest overall, and according to smart statistics from ESPNcricinfo, his contribution was worth 164. Gayle was impressed by Rahul’s blow, putting standing and clapping from the dressing room, just like Agarwal. In response, the entire Royal Challengers lineup could muster just 109 in 17 overs.
Sure, Rahul was knocked down twice by Virat Kohli in the outfield in the 17th and 18th overs and Royal Challengers bowlers provided giveaways, but his versatility stood out. With the ball coming to bat very well on a new pitch in the early exchanges, Rahul simply stepped back to hit up and down the line. As Agarwal jumped off the leg and lifted Umesh Yadav over the additional cover, Rahul opted to cut the risks and got into his entrances.
Yuzvendra Chahal then broke the starting position by breaking through Agarwal’s defenses with a googly and combined with Washington Sundar to stop the Kings XI. Only after that, and only when Yadav offered a free throw, did Rahul hit the ball in the air and cut it with additional coverage for six in the 10th.
Three overs later, Navdeep Saini put Rahul to the test with extra pace and rebound, drawing a high-edged hook that flew past the goalkeeper for four. Saini’s next ball was at 145.2 km / h and a good length around the stump. There was no room. Rahul stood tall, with a pronounced front elbow, and somehow manipulated the ball over additional coverage for four, a shot that would have made his childhood coach Samuel Jayraj proud. While he was playing the shot, Rahul’s towel fell off his back, but he didn’t miss a beat at all.
With Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell failing to get going, the Kings XI were 132 of 3 at the end of 16 overs. After Rahul and Agarwal escaped to 50-0 in the power play, the ESPNcricinfo forecaster calculated that Kings XI would finish with 180. Such a high score seemed out of reach for Kings XI after the intermediate wobble, but Rahul, helped by two pardons from Kohli, he finally jumped the side past 200.
The plaza boundaries in Dubai are larger than those at Mohali or Indore, and there was some grip for the cutters from Dale Steyn and Dube, but Rahul kept clearing the fence for fun. The Kings XI had 74 in the last four overs, of which Rahul only scored 60 on 18 balls.
Rahul had feared for his game during the pandemic-induced lockdown, saying he spent sleepless nights wondering if he would be able to choose line and length as before. But here he showed great clarity of thought. Anticipating the cutters hitting Steyn’s midfield, he sat deep into the crease and fiercely threw them into square six. One of those six landed on the upper level, leaving Steyn with a wry smile on his face. In total, Rahul collected 44 races from 20 short or short-lived installments.
The carnage ended with a six on a similar short from Dube, as Rahul put more smiles on the faces of his Kings XI teammates and coach Anil Kumble.
In the post-match presentation, Rahul, however, admitted to being rusty, having just returned to action after months of inactivity. “In fact, I haven’t been that confident,” he told Star broadcaster. “I had a chat with Maxi yesterday and he asked me how I was feeling. I told him I still didn’t feel completely in control of my hitting and he said, ‘You must be kidding because you’re hitting well.
“Honestly, I was nervous, but I knew that if I spend a little time in the middle and hit a few balls from the middle of the bat, everything will calm down. I’m happy I can.”
Maybe Rahul was joking with Maxwell. But if it wasn’t, then imagine what you could do once you hit your best.
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