CHENNAI: When KL Rahul said he was s***ing himself — in conversation with the broadcaster after the final in the middle at the Dubai International Stadium, he was being serious. Not in the literal sense, but mentally. For he knows what it feels to not hold his own in a summit clash. He knows what it is like to go into a shell and watch a global title fall through his hands.
He had been there before. In fact, on multiple occasions. As replacement opener in the 2019 Men's ODI World Cup semifinal, as the opener in 2021 and 2022 Men's T20 World Cup and more recently as middle-order keeper-batter at the Narendra Modi Stadium on the dreaded afternoon of November 19, 2023. While every single one of them would have hurt, the last one perhaps was the most painful. If he was given a chance to go back and change one thing, the thing that he regrets the most, it would be that evening where he struggled to get going and made 66 of 107 balls.
He admitted as much in a conversation with R Ashwin for the latter's YouTube channel. "The first thing that comes to my mind is the finals in Ahmedabad against Australia 2023. I was just stuck in that moment of whether I take down Mitchell Starc..., it was reversing, he was bowling from a difficult angle for me to attack him... I was just stuck in between whether to attack or just play him and then take a chance on the other side. And in that confusion ended up nicking the ball and getting out at a crucial time. I felt like if I had continued that innings and gone on to play the rest of the 12 overs or whatever was left, we could have probably had 30-40 runs more and we could have probably had a World Cup in our hands. That's something I'll regret," he would say.
While Rahul did not even play the slowest innings on the day — Marnus Labuschagne made 58 not out from 110 — but such was the magnanimity of the occasion and the scar that left on a billion people, the 32-year-old has been on the receiving end of a significant amount of flak and was abused almost every single time he failed. It became a cycle of sorts. Every time a squad is picked — whether it is ODIs or Test — Rahul becomes the first question. Should he start? Can he perform? And when he is picked and performs, the questions becomes about will he perform today every time he steps on to the field.
So much so that despite being one of the best middle-order batters in the last five years — he is the second leading run-scorer since 2020 (No 4-7) with 1981 runs at 58.26 average and 93.97 strike rate — his place in the ODI XI was constantly questioned. Rahul had even gotten used to it. "...not always am I going to be right. I will fail sometimes, I will make mistakes, I will make mistakes in reading the game and that's the beauty of sport and for me if my heart is in the right place and if I am thinking that this is the best way for me to win the game, then I can go back home and sleep peacefully. But yes, I do read about it. And if it's valid, then I'll take it into account," he said in one of the earlier press conferences.
The team management, meanwhile, knew better. "KL averages 50 in one day cricket, that's the answer," is all head coach Gautam Gambhir had to say when asked he felt vindicated after Rahul guided India home in the semifinal against Australia last week. While that crucial knock itself felt like a redemption, the actual one came on Sunday. All-important final, the responsibility of seeing through the chase in his hands and Rahul, in his own words, was "s****ing myself at the end"
That said, he too knew all he had to do was stay in the middle. So long as he bats, he and the rest could take the team across the line. He knew he had the talent for it. Everyone knew. From captain Rohit Sharma to coach Gambhir to teammate Hardik Pandya, that is all they could talk about. But Rahul knew something else. It is not just the talent that matters, but holding his composure and not letting the pressure get to him as he did on November 19, 2023. And he did just that. He batted one ball at a time, remained unbeaten on 34 from 33 balls — just one four and a six — but what mattered in the end was him standing in the middle, hand aloft as Ravindra Jadeja embraced him.
Yes, it was Jadeja who hit the winning runs, but that was Rahul's moment. It was his day of redemption as the Karnataka batter won his first global title as India cricketer. "I'm very happy at the moment, ICC victories are not so easy to get. It's my first one so I'm very happy. Over the moon," Rahul would say later.
Just as he walked off the pitch minutes after the game was won, Rahul raised his bat above in his right hand, looking into the sky and soaked it all in, the fireworks went off. It made for a perfect picture — just the first of many that would be posted on his social media.
And Sunday night was definitely just the first of the many global titles Rahul will win for India.
