Last Update on: November 20th, 2023 at 10:42 am
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has said KL Rahul ‘should have been a little more proactive’ with the bat in the World Cup final between India and Australia. The hosts locked horns against the team from Down Under on Sunday (November 19) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
While India were the firm favorites to win the clash, Australia stunned them by 6 wickets to clinch a record-extending sixth World Cup title. Asked to bat first, India lost Shubman Gill early before Rohit Sharma gave them another flying start by smashing 47 runs off 31 balls with the help of 4 fours and 3 sixes. However, India completely lost the momentum once Rohit was dismissed by Glenn Maxwell.
Shreyas Iyer also departed for just 4 to leave India reeling at 81 for 3. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli managed to steady the ship but could not give the innings some much-needed impetus. The duo went through a period of 97 balls without a boundary. Kohli departed after scoring 54 off 63 balls while Rahul was dismissed for 66 off 107 balls.
Shoaib Malik criticizes KL Rahul’s knock:
KL Rahul’s workmanlike knock contained just 1 boundary. He also lost his wicket at a time when India desperately needed him to convert his half-century into a big score and guide the team to a good total. Speaking about his knock, Shoaib Malik pointed out that while the wicketkeeper-batter has been taking a lot of responsibility with the bat in recent times, he should have played more aggressively in the final.
“He has been taking a lot of responsibility when India lose quick wickets up front. If you will see his today’s innings 66 off 107 balls, it was not a KL Rahul innings. He went into a zone, where he only wanted to play the whole fifty overs. He should have been a little more proactive,” Malik said on A Sports.
“When you are batting in tough condition and you are not able to hit the boundaries, at least you rotate the strike. He has played a lot of dots ball,” said Malik.
Another former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was also a part of the discussion panel. Speaking about KL Rahul’s knock, he said:
“KL Plays spin very well and we have seen it throughout the tournament. He plays well square of the wicket, front of the wicket, uses his feet really well. But today his approach was that he was waiting. He maybe was not trusting the other batters. He was thinking about getting team to 250 and it got difficult.
India were eventually bowled out for a modest total of 240 runs. In reply, Australia chased down the total in 43 overs thanks to a stunning century from Travis Head and an unbeaten fifty from Marnus Labuschagne.
