Despite scoring an unbeaten century in the third ODI against the West Indies, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul expressed disappointment over the team’s failure to win. Speaking in his post-match interview, he said that he was saddened by the failure to clean sweep the series. Rahul clarified that he did not get a chance to bat in the middle-order for long after the series against New Zealand in January this year, and with the ODI World Cup coming up in October next year, it is very important for him to spend valuable time at the crease. He expressed satisfaction that this innings helped him examine the hard work he is doing in the nets in the match.
Talking about the challenges faced while batting in the middle-order, he said that he has been playing this role for the last six years. However, he said that the changing rules in the last one and a half years have changed a lot and it is difficult to play big shots when the old ball becomes soft and reverse swings in the latter stages of the match. He said that he has always played in the top order and he likes the fast hard ball. But, Rahul revealed that those playing at number 5 or 6 in the middle order should master playing with the old ball and that he is working on this issue specifically to consistently perform for the team.
Responding to the preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, Rahul felt that these bilateral series are a good opportunity for the team to experiment. He added that now 340-350 runs are easily broken in ODI cricket, which is why his batting unit has focused on playing aggressively to reach the 370 to 400 run mark instead of just 330 runs. Their goal is to rotate the strike without taking much time to hit boundaries once they come to the crease. KL said that the coach and captain are moving forward with clear plans to give enough opportunities to the young players.
