India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup: KL Rahul makes a triumphant return with sixth ODI ton after months of uncertainty

KL Rahul’s life took a turn for the worse on 1 May when he was leading the Lucknow Super Giants against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium. Rahul was giving the ball a chase hoping to prevent a boundary when he ended up picking a thigh injury that would turn out to be much worse than initially expected.

The journey since has been a roller-coaster. The wicketkeeper-batter would end up getting ruled out of the remainder of LSG’s campaign and would then undergo surgery on his right thigh that would further extend his time away from the cricket field.

Rahul would then have to watch his teammates take on, and eventually get outplayed by Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final, and was nowhere close to match fitness when the Men in Blue travelled to the Caribbean and the United States to take on the West Indies.

Injuries are part-and-parcel of an athlete’s life and among the objectives of those who take up sport professionally is to keep them at a minimum. Injury layoffs, however, can do more than just physical harm to an athlete; it can take momentum away from an individual going through a purple patch, instil doubts in one’s mind, dent one’s confidence among others.

Read | ‘My tendon ripped apart from my quadricep’: KL Rahul

For Rahul, time away from the sport also meant increased pressure to retain his spot in the side upon return. Rahul, however, did not allow the setback to dampen his sense of determination.

“I am officially on the road to recovery now. I am determined to get back to my best and get back on the field. Onwards and upwards,” Rahul wrote in an Instagram post after undergoing surgery in London.

He would subsequently put in the hard yards alongside Sheyas Iyer, under the watchful eyes of VVS Laxman at the National Cricket Academy in his hometown of Bengaluru. The hard work did yield results as he finally got the thumbs up from the NCA staff in time to make the Asia Cup and World Cup squads.

Read | Rahul posts emotional message after being included in World Cup squad

There was but one final box left for him to tick — make an instant impact upon returning to the cricket field. And boy did he make the opportunity count during the Asia Cup Super 4s clash against Pakistan in Colombo.

A comeback for the ages

Though part of the squad, Rahul missed India’s Group A fixtures against Pakistan and Nepal in Pallekele as he was yet to reach hundred per cent fitness.

That opportunity finally arrived after the team shifted base to Colombo for the next round. Rahul took part in the nets session for batting and wicket-keeping to confirm his availability for Round Two against the arch-rivals at the R Premadasa Stadium.

There had been plenty of debate over his selection in the side especially since Shreyas Iyer had cemented himself at the No. 4 slot and Ishan Kishan had excelled as a replacement with four ODI fifties on the trot.

His inclusion in the XI ultimately was a last-minute call with Iyer ruled out with back spasm. Rahul took his place at two-down and Kishan retained his spot in the middle order. Four months since that forgettable evening in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul was back on the cricketing field in an elite event.

He arrived at the crease at a time when skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill had laid the foundation for a big total with a sizeable 121-run opening stand. Both Rohit and Gill, however, departed in quick succession and Pakistan would have been sniffing an opportunity to trigger a batting collapse and seize control.

Virat Kohli had begun cautiously at one end, hoping not to commit the kind of mistake that had resulted in him getting dismissed for four in his previous outing. Rahul, on the other hand, announced himself in style with a couple of boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, the two pacers who had decimated the Indian top-order in Pallekele and reduced them to 66/4. Both would pitch it short to him, and Rahul would respond with a set of crisp pulls through the mid-wicket region.

The reserve day would then be activated after incessant rain ensured no further play was possible on Sunday. Though Kohli and Rahul once again started off on a cautious note in order to gauge the possibility of a change in conditions, it was once again the latter who took on the role of the aggressor.

This time around, Afridi and the rest of the seam attack would focus on bowling slightly fuller to Rahul, only for the batter to respond with some superbly-timed cuts and drives. Against the spin duo of Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed, he preferred bringing out the expansive sweeps, targeting the square-leg and backward square-leg regions. Or, using his feet to get to the pitch of the delivery that resulted in a couple of majestic inside-out lofts down the ground.

Foot on the gas, ball to the fence!