'I never expected it': KL Rahul takes dig at Shreyas Iyer during candid chat with Virat Kohli- WATCH

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match between Team India and Australia took place on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. With a six-wicket victory over Australia, Team India made a strong start to their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign. Rohit Sharma and Co. successfully chased down the target in 41.2 overs after first restricting the Australian team to just 199 runs. A critical partnership was formed by Virat Kohli, who scored an incredible 85 runs, and KL Rahul, who struck an undefeated 97*. They will now play Afghanistan in Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. 

3 things you need to know 

• Australia elected to bat first after winning the toss
• KL Rahul and Virat Kohli aided India in chasing their target
• Afghanistan and India will play today

Also Read: Swiggy's hilarious response to SKY's viral video

KL Rahul talks about India vs Australia match with Virat Kohli

India faced an unexpected predicament against Australia in the opening match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup as three of its top-order batsmen, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer were out without scoring any runs. It felt like a difficult challenge because Australia was defending a total of 200 runs. However, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli foiled Australia's plan by exhibiting incredible batting prowess to win this crucial match. In an open conversation with Kohli during the game, Rahul voiced his surprise at the quick loss of those early wickets.

Rahul and Kohli employed a Test match strategy to overcome the early setback, gradually neutralizing the immediate threat and taking opportunities to rack up runs. Instead of depending on borders, they concentrated on singles and doubles. Ultimately, this tactic worked, but Rahul acknowledged that he was exhausted after the game. In a video posted by BCCI on X (formerly Twitter), KL Rahul said: 

“Tired I would not lie. The only chat after 50-70 runs of the partnership was, let us conserve our energy, let us not run the twos. Once we hit it in the gaps, our instincts took over and we started running. It was nice to start the WC with a win.”

Also Read: Afghanistan captain on Virat Kohli-Naveen duel

KL Rahul claimed that he did not expect the top order to fall that quickly 

Rahul openly expressed his amazement that the Indian team had lost three wickets in the first two overs. He had anticipated Shreyas Iyer to give some consistency for a few more overs, but Iyer was also discharged early, much to his surprise. He added: 

“I never expected it. You do lose a couple of wickets when the ball is doing something. But not like that. It still takes four or five overs, not 1.5 or two overs. I just came and sat when I came out of the shower. When Ishan got out, I rushed to get taped and started wearing my pads. Then Rohit got out, Shreyas too. With Shreyas, I thought he would bat at least two overs. But he was out on the first or second ball”.

India won the first match but now will be focusing on facing Afghanistan and Pakistan in their next crucial matches of the ICC ODI World Cup.