Star India batter KL Rahul once again left fans upset after his innings of 23 (29) vs New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday, March 2 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Rahul walked out to bat with India on 128/4 after Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel rescued the innings with their 98-run stand.
Rahul began his innings cautiously, scoring 1 off his first seven deliveries. However, he finally broke the shackles after playing seven consecutive dot deliveries by scoring a boundary against Rachin Ravindra. Rahul played second fiddle to Iyer, who was gradually moving towards his century.
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However, following Iyer’s dismissal, the onus was on KL Rahul to take India to a good finish. Rahul couldn’t live up to the expectations and got dismissed for 23 (29) edging Mitchell Santner to wicketkeeper Tom Latham. As a result, Rahul’s poor form in ODIs has continued since 2024.
The right-handed batter has scored 147 runs in his last seven innings at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 84.97 with a highest score of 41. Hence, Rahul’s inability to notch up a big score sparked strong reactions from fans as India had benched Rishabh Pant to make way for Rahul in the playing XI.
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The southpaw has played just one ODI since his comeback following a year-long absence from international cricket after surviving a near-fatal car crash in December 2022. Hence, there have been several questions raised about Rahul’s place as Pant could give the Indian batting order some much-needed variety in the middle order, being a left-hander.
Moreover, Pant’s ability to take down spinners makes him a dangerous prospect for the opposition. Hence, fans continued to question Rahul’s inclusion in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, India scored 249/9 batting first against New Zealand in their allotted 50 overs. Shreyas Iyer top-scored with his innings of 79 (98) while Axar Patel (42 off 61) and Hardik Pandya (45 off 45) also contributed with their useful knocks. Matt Henry picked up a five-wicket haul for the Kiwis, registering figures of 5/42 in eight overs.
