Dale Steyn believes KL Rahul could have piled up many more centuries had he batted regularly at No. 3. The South African pace legend shared his thoughts after Rahul’s unbeaten 66 off just 43 balls in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3.
Rahul’s blistering knock included six fours and two sixes, finishing with an impressive strike rate of 153.49. His innings powered India to a formidable total of 359, though the Proteas chased it down successfully with four balls and four wickets to spare. Steyn lauded the stand-in captain’s game awareness and composure, especially during a phase when Ravindra Jadeja struggled to find fluency at the crease.
“He just knows how to do it,” Steyn said on Star Sports. “If he batted at No. 3 or opened the innings, I’m sure he’d also get hundreds because he would face more deliveries. But those spots belong to other players, and he understands his role. In both matches so far, he has played brilliant innings.”
Steyn further praised Rahul’s ability to shift gears: “It was a handy knock from KL, he led from the front in the previous match as well. There was a phase where he slowed down with Jadeja, and South Africa bowled well during that transition. But he finished strongly, especially in the last over.”
Rahul had earlier scored a valuable 60 off 56 balls in the series opener in Ranchi, which India won. With the series now level at 1-1, the decider will be played on Saturday, December 6, at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
Comments are closed.