India’s last match of the Asia Cup campaign didn’t go as uneventful as expected. In fact, it stood at the other extreme of the uneventful spectrum. The clash between India and Afghanistan, both of whom are now out of the championship witnessed glorious moments, courtesy of Virat Kohli.
India put forth a team with drastic changes in the match. KL Rahul captained the side with Deepak Chahar, and Dinesh Karthik included. Moreover, Rohit Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Hardik Pandya took the role of bystanders as they rested from the match. Virat Kohli opened up the innings with KL Rahul and got to his much-awaited 71st century. The century by the king broke the internet and easily became the highlight of the match if not of the whole tournament.
KL Rahul also scored a quickfire 62 off 41. However, his performance in the rest of the tournament wasn’t as impressive. Many questioned the possibility of including Rahul in the upcoming T20 World Cup squad. Rahul appeared for the post-match presser on Thursday where he faced direct inquisition over the matter.
KL Rahul cheekily answers a clever question
"(Toh Kya Main Khud Baith Jaun) So Should I bench myself?" – KL Rahul hilariously answers back as Virat Kohli scores his 71st international ton.#AsiaCup2022 #INDvsAFG#ViratKohli #KLRahul pic.twitter.com/jvpm3kE4Bs
— OneCricket (@OneCricketApp) September 8, 2022
Following Kohli’s 122* off 61 scored at the strike rate of 200, the majority are of the stance that he should open the innings in the World Cup campaign. A reporter asked the same to Rahul in the presser. Rahul, in turn, came up with a stern counterquestion of his own. “Toh kya mai khud beth jaun? (So what? Should I sit out?),” asked KL as he laughed off the question.
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“Obviously, Virat scoring runs is a huge bonus for the team, and the way he played today against Afghanistan, I know he is very very pleased with how he batted today. He has been working on his game and that worked beautifully today. As a team, it is important for every player to get time out in the middle,” Rahul said.
“You get confidence if you play 2-3 innings, really happy that he could play that way. You all know Virat Kohli, you have been watching him for so many years, it is not like he will only score centuries if he opens the batting, if he bats at No.3, he can then also score centuries. It is all about roles and what role a certain player has,” he added.
