KL Rahul put on a rescue act in Rajkot with a fine display of batting. The wicket-keeper stroked his 8th ODI century on Wednesday at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Rahul stitched vital partnerships with Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy to guide the hosts to a respectable 284/7 batting first.
Rahul's century is the first ever in an ODI at the the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. He walked into bat after the fall of Virat Kohli's wicket and saw Shreyas Iyer depart soon after. With almost 30 overs to go, the Karnataka star scored 112 off just 93 balls, rotating strike and finding regular boundaries to keep India in the hunt.
India got off to a flying start with 70-run opening stand between captain Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. However, India lost their next 4 wickets for 48 runs putting them at a risk of an underpar score. Rahul, using his experience, stuck in, rotating the strike and playing a waiting game.
He put on 73 off 88 balls with Ravindra Jadeja. Following the left-hander's dismissal, India pushed the accelerator in a 57-run stand between Nitish Reddy and Rahul. Rahul added the finishing touches to get India to 284.
