Updated 10 March 2025 at 13:48 IST
'Understand What Your Role Is': KL Rahul Shines In New Role As India Lift ICC Champions Trophy 2025 In Dubai
India defeated New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy by four wickets thanks to efforts by Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav.
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KL Rahul | Image:
AP
- India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the final of the Champions Trophy.
- India won the Champions Trophy for the third time in their history.
- KL Rahul was one of the unsung heroes of India's campaign to win the CT 2025.
India have had a dominant campaign in the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy as Rohit Sharma's team won the tournament undefeated. India faced off against Australia in the semi-finals and New Zealand in the finals and defeated both teams in convincing manner. During this entire campaign of the Champions Trophy, the spotlight has always been on players such as Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Rohit Sharma. What many fail to consider is the unsung hero in the batting line up of the Indian Cricket Team- KL Rahul.
KL Rahul showcased consistent performances for India as he batted in his new role at number six. As India lifted the ICC Champions Trophy, KL Rahul opened up on the work it took to excel in his new spot in the Indian batting lineup.
KL Rahul Opens Up On His New Role In Indian Batting Setup
KL Rahul who has now been fixed at the number six spot in the Indian batting setup excelled in his new role during the ICC Champions Trophy. He credited his hard work and preparation as the reasons to him excelling in the number six spot.
“It's really pleasing for me. The work that I'm putting in to different roles requires a lot of preparation, work outside the cricket field, thinking about how I need to take each game and how I need to perform in different situations and watch some of the players that bat at 5, 6 and how they've been successful,” said KL Rahul after India's big win against New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy.
“I've been taught from a very early age by my coaches that cricket is a team game and whatever the team requires of you, you need to be able to accept that and find a way to put in performances for the team and understand what your role is, understand what the responsibility is, understand what it takes to be successful batting in different positions,” KL Rahul further added.
KL Rahul had several underrated knocks in the ICC Champions Trophy as he scored 42 against Australia in the semi-finals and had an unbeaten 32 in the finals against Australia. The most important aspect of these knocks was that Rahul played with a strike rate of 98 that too on the slow pitches of Dubai resulting in a massive impact on the match result.
India Win Back To Back ICC Tournaments Undefeated
The Indian Cricket Team have now won back to back ICC tournaments without facing a single defeat. In 2024, India had not faced a single defeat in the ICC T20 World Cup as they defeated South Africa in the final to lift the trophy. They followed it up with bringing home the ICC Champions Trophy, that too was won without facing defeat against any team in the tournament.
The Indian Cricket Team will now play five test matches against England in July.
Published 10 March 2025 at 13:48 IST