An initial assault by KL Rahul was followed by a 100-run stand between Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India posted 190 for four in the second and final T20 against Australia in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Kohli led from the front in the must-win tie, hammering an unbeaten 72 off 38 balls in a knock that included half a dozen sixes, while Dhoni played the supporting role well with 40 off 23 balls.
Before their innings set the stadium ablaze, opener KL Rahul smashed a quickfire 47 off 26 in front of his home crowd to give India a solid start. Rahul was picked in place of Rohit Sharma for the match after Shikhar Dhawan sat out for the previous fixture.
“It’s good to be back with the team. Good to be out there in the middle and score some runs. Its feels good.”KL Rahul to Sanjay Manjrekar
The fifth over of the Indian innings saw the most runs off Rahul’s bat as pacer Jhye Richardson conceded 15 runs after being dispatched for consecutive sixes- a top edge that flew over over deep fine leg and a crisp drive that went all the way over cover.
The stylish Karnataka batsman, who recently went through a rough patch both on and off the field, was back in his elements.
Rahul meted out similar punishment to Pat Cummins in the following over, hitting him for back-to-back sixes. He eventually got out on 47.
“I’ve had some time to come back home and work on my game and I think the time that I’ve spent away from the team has given me a chance to work on my technique, my game and work on my headspace a little. I’m in a good headspace to go out and give it my best and perform to the best of my abilities.”KL Rahul
Rahul is making a comeback to the Indian team for this Australia tour after being suspended from the team following the Koffee controversy. He missed out on the ODI series in Australia and bad form then saw him being dropped for the New Zealand series at home. A few good outings for India A and the team’s need for a standby opener for the World Cup has now seen Rahul return to the Indian dressing room for the ongoing T20 series and the ODI series that will follow as well.
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