India has made the perfect start to the New Zealand tour as they took a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. In the first game, India chased a mammoth 204 whereas in the second game India chased down a below-par total of 133. Both games had two things in common. Firstly, both the games were held at Eden Park in Auckland and secondly, KL Rahul’s half-century helped India win the game.
India’s newly appointed wicket-keeper is in terrific form as he has scored three half-centuries in three consecutive T20 matches. KL Rahul became the first player in the history of T20I cricket to score the fifties in the first two matches as a wicket-keeper. Not only that but his score of 56 in the first T20I was the highest score by a player from a full-member nation in his first T20I game as a wicketkeeper.
KL Rahul has equaled MS Dhoni’s record of most fifties as an Indian wicket-keeper. All these records will be noted down but for Rahul, this is normal service. The only thing which has changed is he has stared keeping wickets in the shortest format. If you look at his last ten T20Is he has crossed the fifty-run mark in six of those games. Since his comeback in the Indian team, he has been in terrific form and we are finally seeing the real KL Rahul.
There was a phase in his career where wasn’t able to score runs. He was struggling in the longest format which led to his exclusion from the team. Over the last couple of series, things have changed. KL Rahul is now the man for a crisis. He is ready to do any job for the team. Rishabh Pant was injured and KL Rahul was asked to keep in place of him. Rahul impressed everyone with his keeping skills and now he is India’s first-choice wicket-keeper in limited-overs cricket.
Virat Kohli has been quite vocal about KL Rahul’s keeping and how it gives the extra balance to the team. Rahul is even repaying his captain’s faith which are good signs for the Indian team. If Rahul hits another fifty then he will have the most fifties by an Indian wicket-keeper batsman. Looking at his current form, it seems as if it won’t take time for him to break a couple of more records.
