Wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul admitted that it was a sporty wicket at Eden Gardens as he scored a gritty half-century in the second ODI to help India register a 4-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. Chasing a 216-run target, India lost their star top-order – Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli early as things turned tricky for the hosts. Rahul shared a 75-run stand for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya to revive the chase.
The 30-year-old stayed till the end to take India over the line with his 64-run knock as the hosts also claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in three-match series.
Also Read | IND vs SL, 2nd ODI: Gritty KL Rahul, Bowlers Help India Take Unassailable 2-0 Lead Over Sri Lanka
Rahul said at the start India thought it was a 280-300 wicket and the bowlers did well to restrict Sri Lanka to a below-par score.
“I won’t say it was a flat wicket, but I can’t say it was impossible to bat as well. It was quite a sporty wicket. When we started I thought it was a 280-300 wicket. It wasn’t moving much, spongy bounce, apart from that there was not much. We bowled really well to bowl them get out for 215,” KL Rahul told broadcasters after the match.
The wicketkeeper batter said that the hosts were off to a brisk start but Sri Lanka fought well to put pressure on them.
“Again the start was brisk from the openers. They (Sri Lanka) put up a good fight. Got the early breakthroughs and put us under pressure. Challenging game, we can be proud of the way we fought,” he added.
Talking about playing cautiously against Wanindu Hasaranga, Rahul suggested that it was important to soak in the pressure on Thursday as India lost early wickets.
“We were batting first in Guwahati and the wicket was really good. We were trying to get the extra 20-25 runs, so no matter who the bowler is, you are looking to attack and things tend to happen. When I went in to bat last game we were in a comfortable position. We lost 4 wickets today, so it was important to soak in the pressure and ensure their main bowlers don’t get into the game early. We didn’t need to attack today,” he said.
The swashbuckling batter further talked about batting in the middle-order in ODIs as he usually bats in the top-order when it comes to other formats. Rahul said that the message is quite clear from the skipper that he wants him to bat in the middle in ODIs.
“One thing I really enjoy is that you don’t rush back to bat (compared to the role of an opener). You can put your feet up, have a shower, have a good meal and react to the situation. If the team requires me to bat at a certain strike rate I try and do it to the best of my ability. More often than not just try and do the job the team wants has been my mindset. At No. 5 you will be facing spin, I like the ball coming on to the bat. Ro (Rohit) is pretty clear that’s where he wants me to bat (No. 5) and conveyed that to me,” he added.
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