Averages 68.58 at 5, four hundreds, best strike rate after AB: KL Rahul is India’s Mr Indispensable - The Indian Express

KL Rahul walked out to bat for the first time in the series against the West Indies with 25 overs to spare in the third and final ODI. At 34, wicketkeeping and batting in an expendable middle-order role, below three white-ball giants, means limited time at the top and no excuses when the tide turns. Rahul hardly ever complains, even when scrutiny is one knock away.

An iffy start to the England tour in July is one reason why. Falling for 1 in the series opener in Birmingham, an apparent “illness” left him out of the second game in Cardiff. Ishan Kishan filled in for him.

When Rahul subsequently returned at Lord’s for the series decider, the wicket-keeping gloves remained with Kishan. A blockbuster season, runs at the T20 World Cup, runs in Jharkhand’s title-winning domestic run and a century in his ODI comeback series against Afghanistan after three years had begun to blow the winds towards Kishan. Like Rahul, he is a versatile keeper-batter cum floater, but more importantly a left-hander, the missing piece in India’s vaunted batting top six.

Over the last two seasons, the think tank had gambled hard with left-handed bowling all-rounders for a floating role between numbers 5 and 7. Rahul has sacrificed the comforts of equilibrium for this inorganic experiment, shunted up and down too often. In the past year, he has batted number six seven times and number five – his designated slot at the previous ODI World Cup – on five occasions. Adding to the middle-order blues is Hardik Pandya’s prolonged absence, the vacuum in power-hitting that permeates through the lower-order with it.

On Saturday at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, Rahul allayed concerns swirling around India’s middle-order lacking a mature figurehead. He did so with a career-best knock — his ninth ODI ton — an unbeaten 129 off 87 deliveries which broke a few important metrics that quite often gauge a finisher’s mettle.

Walking in at 141 for three in the 25th over at the fall of a stoic Rohit knock, Rahul had shrugged off the white-ball rust on a pitch that was progressively slowing down. The discolouring older ball post the 34th over doesn’t make hitting free-flowing anymore in ODIs, and Rahul isn’t as much the sixes man as is Pandya.

But in an impeccable exhibition of his white-ball nous, Rahul reiterated that concerns over his position may be misplaced in this World Cup year. The ghosts of the ‘23 Ahmedabad final still wracks his reputation, but Rahul is so much more in this middle-order than that wretched November afternoon for the Indians.

By the 25th delivery, Rahul’s strike rate had soared above 100, courtesy of a thunderous bunt for four off Jayden Seales, the best bowler of the day who castled Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli with snorters in his opening burst. The tempo remained with a series of delicate cuts and punches on the off-side.

The restraint on aerial hitting remained until the dying stages when he pressed down the gas in a remarkable overdrive. With a thunderous swipe, he lifted Alzarri Joseph over mid-wicket in the 48th over. He reached his fifth ODI ton five balls later with a furious hook off Seales over the fine-leg boundary and celebrated an encore with another six over the sight-screen. Four maximums and a four were crammed into his last 10 deliveries, powering a daunting total for India in their first attempt to set a target this series.

He levelled his best sixes (6) haul in an ODI innings, the previous instance coming in one of his earliest knocks at number five against New Zealand in 2020. The 80-ball century was the second-quickest ton of his enterprising career in the middle-order, only behind a 62-ball effort against the Netherlands in 2023.

Across 36 innings, he averages 68.58 at number five. South Africa’s legendary shape-shifter AB de Villiers is the only bat to score more runs at a higher average in the slot. Rahul, in essence, matches up to two of India’s greatest middle-order occupants. He has as many centuries (four) as MS Dhoni at No.5, just one behind Yuvraj Singh (5). His scoring rate is a distinct upgrade over the two, putting him in a rare club of four men to possess a 50-plus average and 100-plus strike rate at number five, alongside de Villiers, Marlon Samuels and Angelo Mathews. The one-ball rule after the 34th over, in effect since July 2025, hasn’t necessarily diminished his returns as yet. In contrast, they have recorded an uptick. Rahul has manoeuvred the phase with an average of 87 for 387 runs, the highest aggregate among all batters in overs 35-50 in this period. His strike rate has risen to 144.40, up from 120.62 between January 2023 and June 2025.

Saturday suggested his evolving capabilities as a middle-order bat are nearing their perceived peaks, enough to warrant a secure run as India’s first-choice wicket-keeper, preferably at number five.

Lalith Kalidas is a Deputy Copy Editor with the sports team at The Indian Express (digital), where he specializes in cricket coverage. Based on his profile and recent work, here are the key details about him: Professional Background Role: He works with the online sports desk, focusing primarily on the happenings in the cricket world, with a specific interest in India's domestic cricket circuit. Expertise: He is known for data-driven stories and statistical analysis. He writes a weekly stats-based column titled 'Stats Corner'. Experience: He has over six years of experience in sports journalism. Before joining The Indian Express in February 2024, he worked for Sportstar (part of The Hindu group). Education: He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Madras Christian College. Sports Background: He is a former cricketer who played state-level tournaments in Kerala, which often informs his technical analysis of the game. Notable Recent Work & Beats Investigative Journalism: He recently authored a major investigative series for The Indian Express regarding the Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP), exploring issues like "short-cuts" to the big leagues, dodgy records, and how a private firm took over the association. Major Events: He has covered multiple events, including 2023 ODI World Cup held in India and the T20 World Cup 2026 among others. IPL Analysis: He provides in-depth coverage of the IPL auctions and the rise of uncapped players. You can follow his latest articles and updates on his Indian Express profile page or via his social media links (X/Twitter and LinkedIn) listed there. ... Read More

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