Mohammed Shami acknowledged that KL Rahul was under pressure when he came out to bat during the first ODI against Australia on March 17 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Shami appreciated Rahul’s ability to handle the pressure and deliver a winning performance.
In the first ODI match against Australia, Team India’s KL Rahul was the highest scorer, making an unbeaten 75 runs off 91 balls, as the team successfully chased down a target of 189 with 10.1 overs and five wickets remaining. At the 20th over, the Indian team was struggling at 83-5, but wicketkeeper-batsman Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (who made 45 runs off 69 balls) partnered to form an unbroken 108-run sixth-wicket partnership, leading the hosts to victory.
Mohammed Shami praises KL Rahul
KL Rahul faced significant scrutiny prior to the first ODI against Australia due to his recent struggles in red-ball cricket, resulting in him being excluded from the playing XI for the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a series of low scores.
“There is a lot of talk about being in form, being out of form or being under pressure. But from a player’s (batter’s) point of view, it’s all about playing a good knock for the team and giving a good start to the side,” Shami said in a post-match conference.
“We have all seen that he has played some very good inning. Sometimes your luck doesn’t work. You try things, but it just doesn’t happen. You start finding your rhythm after many days, and the shots also start coming out nicely. This phase comes in a player’s life. There was definitely pressure today because so many wickets fell early. So, it was really good to see him perform under pressure,” he added.
During his unbeaten innings in the first ODI, KL Rahul hit seven boundaries and one six as India won the match, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Shami on his bowling
During the first ODI, KL Rahul performed well in the batting department, while Mohammad Shami was the standout performer with the ball, taking three wickets for only 17 runs in six overs, two of which were maiden overs. In his second spell, Shami dismissed Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Marcus Stoinis in rapid succession.
“In the second spell, the ball was coming out well from the first delivery itself. They (Australian batters) were playing on the back foot, so my mindset was to bowl it further up and look for the edge. I had a slip in the second spell as well. The effort was to bowl in good areas and maintain good lengths,” Shami said.
In an interview, Shami was questioned about how the bowlers intend to handle their workload in light of the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. He replied that it is premature to focus on the major tournaments at this point.
“There is still time for the World Test Championship and the World Cup. You can’t think so far ahead as a player. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. As for the World Cup, you need to be smart and work on your strengths. You need to work on your body. You need to take it match to match or, at maximum, tournament to tournament,” he added.
