Virat Kohli, KL Rahul produce middle-order masterclass as India make early World Cup statement

Familiarity, they say, often breeds contempt. Just as well that Virat Kohli and KL Rahul don’t seem to have taken that to heart.

Last month in the Asia Cup against Pakistan in Colombo, in Rahul’s first competitive match since May, the two came together at 123 for two. By the time they were done with dismantling Pakistan, they had muscled India to 356 without further damage, their 233-run alliance snapped only because India ran out of overs.

That humongous partnership had driven India to a record 228-run rout of their fiercest rivals. But the challenge ahead of the former skipper and his one-time deputy was a lot more daunting on Sunday night at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Before one could say Jack Robinson, India’s chase of Australia’s modest 199 all out in their opening game of the 2023 World Cup was in tatters. Within 12 deliveries of the start of their reply, India had lost three wickets; Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer were all dismissed without scoring and at three for two, India were far, far behind the eight-ball.

Having kept wickets for a shade under 50 overs – Australia were bowled out in 49.3 – Rahul might have entertained hopes of putting his feet up and watching the top order eat into the target. Instead, within ten minutes of the first ball being delivered, he had to put his game face on again, walking into a genuine crisis. India had lost three of their top four for ducks for the first time in their ODI history, and the severely listing ship desperately needed steadying.

Rahul calmed Indian nerves with great authority. Even Kohli, the chasemeister, was uncharacteristically edgy; numerous plays and misses seemed to frustrate him enough to essay a chancy pull from outside off-stump against Josh Hazlewood, his tail up after evicting Rahul and Iyer in four deliveries. The top-edge flew in the direction of square leg. Mitchell Marsh hared around from mid-wicket to get under the skier, but he was probably a bit distracted by Alex Carey running from behind the stumps for the same purpose. Whatever the reason, Marsh let the ball burst through his hands and India breathed a collective sigh of relief. It could have been 20 for four, Kohli gone for 12, game all but over. It wasn’t, though.

Also Read: How Virat Kohli and KL Rahul pulled India out of misery after nightmarish start vs Australia

Making the most of the reprieve, Kohli soon rediscovered his mojo, relying on placement and electric running between the wickets to keep the board ticking over. Rahul was even more enterprising, twice late-cutting leg-spinner Adam Zampa for delectable boundaries. At times, Rahul can be supremely annoying, given his penchant for dead-batting, but this wasn’t one such night. He was positive, looking for runs without manufacturing strokes, and his uncanny understanding with Kohli meant they shared an almost telepathic bond out in the middle.

Chepauk, all 33,000 pairs of eyes populating the stands, hardly blinked. This was an epic fightback, sans the frills and the drama and the panic. The score board didn’t seem to matter, the situation was pushed to the back of the mind by the two right-handers who, when on song, make batting look the simplest proposition. They also illustrated the art of batting as a pair perfectly; that wasn’t restricted just to appreciating beautiful strokes but also looking after each other. When one batter briefly lost concentration, the other was quickly in his ear. If someone was in a bit of discomfort against a particular bowler, the partner looked for the release single. To the young kids watching with amazed wonderment, it was an object lesson from two masters close to the peak of their games.

India are by and large a top-reliant side, looking to their openers to set the tempo. Against that storied backdrop, it must have been refreshing for the management group, grateful skipper Rohit included, to see the middle order come to the party. The message that emanated from the willows of Kohli and Rahul was resounding – we aren’t done till we are. The rest of the field will have taken note of the purpose and poise with which India overturned 3 for 2 into a glorious six-wicket victory with 52 deliveries to spare. Kohli, 85, and Rahul 97 n.o., put on 165 without panic, without haste, without tension. As opening statements go, this will be hard to match.