KL, Virat Kohli India makes an early World Cup statement thanks to Rahul’s masterful middle-order performance

They claim that familiarity often creates contempt. It’s fortunate that KL Rahul and Virat Kohli don’t appear to have taken it to heart.

Rahul and I connected at 123 for two last month in the Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Colombo, which was his first competitive game since May. By the time they had finished destroying Pakistan, they had pushed India to 356 without suffering any additional losses; their 233-run partnership broke only because India had used all of its available overs.

This enormous partnership helped India defeat their closest opponents by a record 228 runs. But on Sunday night at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the former captain and his former assistant faced a far more formidable task.

India’s pursuit of Australia’s modest 199 all out in their first game of the 2023 World Cup was in tatters before anybody could pronounce Jack Robinson. India lost three wickets in the first 12 deliveries of their reply; Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer were all out for no runs, leaving India at three for two and far behind the eight-ball.

Rahul may have entertained thoughts of relaxing and letting the top order eat into the goal after keeping wickets for just under 50 overs—Australia was all out in 49.3—but instead, he was knocked out for just under 50. Instead, five minutes after the first ball was thrown, he had to put on his game face once again as he entered a real dilemma. For the first time in their history of ODIs, India had lost three of their top four for ducks, and their dangerously listing ship urgently required stabilizing.

Rahul effectively soothed the tension in India. Even Kohli, the chasemeister, was acting tensely out of character; after ejecting Rahul and Iyer in four deliveries, Josh Hazlewood was facing him when he attempted a risky pull from outside off-stump. The top-edge flew in a square-leg orientation. Mitchell Marsh circled around from mid-wicket to get under the skier, but Alex Carey was likely rushing from behind the stumps for the same reason, which may have distracted him a little. Whatever the reason, Marsh let the ball to escape his grasp, and India exhaled in unison. If Kohli had gone for 12, it may have been game over after 20 for 4. But, it wasn’t.

Utilizing the opportunity, Kohli quickly regained his groove, relying on placement and lightning-quick runs between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving. Even more resourceful as before, Adam Zampa’s leg-spinner Rahul twice late-cut him for delicious boundaries. Given his propensity for dead-batting, Rahul can be really unpleasant at times, but this wasn’t one of those nights. He was upbeat, searching for runs rather than artificially producing strokes, and his eerily prescient comprehension of Kohli meant that they had an almost psychic connection in the middle.

Chepauk, with its 33,000 eyeballs crammed into the stands, scarcely batted an eye. Without the frills, the drama, and the terror, this was a historic comeback. The two right-handers, who, when in form, make batting seem to be the easiest notion, seemed to disregard the scoreboard and shove the issue to the back of their minds. They also expertly exemplified the art of batting as a couple, which goes beyond just praising good strokes to include taking care of one another. When one batter momentarily lost focus, the other swiftly got in his ear. The partner searched for the release single if someone was feeling a little uneasy against a specific bowler. It served as an example lesson from two masters who were at the top of their games for the little children who were watching in awe and amazement.

India is typically a top-reliant team that depends on its openers to set the tone. With such a storied history, it must have been a welcome sight for the management team, including the appreciative captain Rohit, to see the middle order show up. We aren’t finished till we are, was the message that rang out from Kohli and Rahul’s willows. With 52 deliveries remaining, India turned around a 3 for 2 score to claim a stunning six-wicket win, which the rest of the field will have seen. Rahul, 97 n.o., and Kohli, 85, put on 165 without rushing or feeling under any pressure. This will be difficult to equal in terms of opening remarks.