India’s KL Rahul plays a shot during the ICC Champions Trophy final cricket match between India and New Zealand at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo)
He appeared calm on the outside right through his innings, but in a lighter moment after India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, KL Rahul had time for a joke.
“I don’t think I should say this on camera, but I was sh***ng myself at the end there,” Rahul told Simon Doull. The wicketkeeper-batsman, however, was solid once again in a run-chase, finishing unbeaten on 34 off 33 balls as India won back-to-back ICC titles in Dubai on Sunday.
“I was confident we could win. In moments like these, in big games, it’s about holding your composure. We all know that’s not easy, but I’m happy we won and got over the line this time. I have batted in situations like this in three of the five games. The games have given me good time in the middle and good preparation for big moments like this,” Rahul said.
His tally of 136 runs in the tournament won’t win him many awards but his importance to India in the middle order was immense. “He has a very solid mind and never gets overwhelmed by pressure. That’s one reason we wanted him in the middle phase to finish the game for us. His experience and calmness while batting allow others, like Hardik, to play freely,” captain Rohit Sharma said after the match.
It’s not easy being KL Rahul, mind you. As he said after the semifinal, every time India take a break from ODIs and return to play, there seems to be a question mark around his place despite delivering what he has been asked to do. He had added that skipper Rohit Sharma and the management understand what he brings to the team, and that was evident in his two unbeaten knocks in the knockout matches of the tournament.
“It’s never easy for anyone in the team to be moving in different places. But that’s how the game goes. Whatever the team thinks is the best possible combination and what they feel is the best entry point for a player, you leave it up to the team to decide and just try and do your job. That’s what I’m focusing on,” Rahul had said in a press conference earlier.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja, left, hugs batting partner KL Rahul to celebrate their win in the ICC Champions Trophy final cricket match against New Zealand at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo)
In the semifinal against Australia, he finished unbeaten on 42 but more than that, was ready to take on the role of the aggressor to take pressure off Virat Kohli who was approaching a century. Even in the final, just as the catch was taken, just like he did when Kohli fell on Tuesday, Rahul turned towards Axar Patel and mumbled out some words with an expression that said: why?
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But Rahul once again ensured he was in the middle when Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs.
“KL Rahul has immense talent, I don’t think anyone can hit the ball as well as he can,” his friend Hardik Pandya said at the end.
November 19, 2023 was a difficult night for the entire Indian squad as Australia clinched the World Cup. But it was especially tough for Rahul, who himself was left wondering – as he revealed to R Ashwin later – whether he made an error with his innings that day in Ahmedabad, in two minds about taking down Mitchell Starc. March 9, 2025 will go some way in easing his heartache.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. … Read More
