3 similarities between KL Rahul's 97* vs AUS at 2023 World Cup and MS Dhoni's 91* vs SL in 2011 final

Star Indian batter KL Rahul came up with a superlative knock of 97* during India's emphatic six-wicket win over Australia in their first game of the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

Chasing 200, Rahul came to the crease when India were in all sorts of trouble at 2/3. The trio of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer recorded respective ducks, and Australia were truly on top when Rahul joined forces with Virat Kohli.

Both batters took their time in the middle, tackled the Aussie threat with a measured approach, and calmed the nerves of every Indian fan by moving the chase forward.

Both Kohli and Rahul put away the bad balls, but the main highlight of their partnership was their brilliant running between the wickets, converting ones into twos.

They were involved in a 165-run partnership, which is now the highest fourth-wicket stand for India in ODI World Cups. Despite playing well, Kohli missed out on a well-deserved century and was caught at short mid-wicket for 85.

However, Rahul kept his wicket intact and remained unbeaten on 97* to sail India over the finish line with six wickets and 52 balls remaining.

With his match-winning knock, Rahul became only the second Indian ever to remain in the 90s in an ICC Men's ODI World Cup. MS Dhoni was the first to achieve the feat during his historic innings of 91* against Sri Lanka.

Interestingly, there is a slew of similarities between the two high-quality knocks.

On that note, let's take a look at three striking similarities between KL Rahul's 97*-run knock against Australia at the 2023 ODI World Cup and MS Dhoni's 91* against Sri Lanka in 2011.

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#3 Both were designated wicketkeepers who came to bat at No. 5

KL Rahul (L) and MS Dhoni (R) donning the wicket-keeping role [Getty Images]

Despite starting his international career primarily as a batter, KL Rahul has developed his wicketkeeping skills substantially. As a result, he has become India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs and kept wickets in India's World Cup opener against Australia.

It is needless to say Dhoni was also the designated wicketkeeper at the 2011 ODI World Cup final against Sri Lanka. Both keepers also came out to bat at No. 5.

While Rahul has made the No. 5 slot his own, Dhoni experimented with his batting number and promoted himself to No. 5 against Sri Lanka to tackle their spin attack.

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#2 Both knocks came during successful run-chases in an ODI World Cup game

KL Rahul and MS Dhoni for India [Getty Images]

The two knocks came under pressure situations. With the team in massive trouble, both KL Rahul and MS Dhoni put their hands up and bailed the side out of a precarious situation.

While Rahul's 97* still came in India's first match of the tournament, Dhoni made his fabulous 79-ball 91* on the biggest stage of all, the final. One can only imagine the kind of pressure the former Indian skipper was under in the summit clash of the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Nevertheless, both Dhoni and Rahul constructed the run-chases wonderfully well. It is remarkable to note that the two chases might not have been completed had both Dhoni and Rahul didn't have two Delhi-born match-winners alongside them.

While Dhoni had Gautam Gambhir, a No. 3 batter who made a brilliant 97, Rahul had Virat Kohli beside him. Kohli also batted at No. 3 and made a 116-ball 85.

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#1 Both finished their respective matches with a six

Both KL Rahul and MS Dhoni finished the innings with maximums [Getty Images]

Last but foremost, the most striking similarity between the two knocks was that both of them brought India home with a match-winning six.

Intriguingly, while one batter put everything behind his slog to finish the game off, the other didn't intend to hit a six but timed the ball so well that it sailed over the ropes.

India needed four runs off the last 11 balls when Dhoni smashed his iconic hit over long-on to make India the ODI world champions after 28 long years.

Rahul, meanwhile, was batting on 91* in the 42nd over when India needed five runs to beat Australia on Sunday. With the game firmly in India's pocket, Rahul aimed to complete his century. The only way Rahul could have reached his milestone before India completed their chase was to hit a four and then a six.

However, attempting to chip a drive over cover for four off Pat Cummins, Rahul accidentally hit the ball extremely well. It sailed over the rope for a maximum, thus ending the game and leaving Rahul unbeaten at 97.

Regardless, both Rahul's 97* and Dhoni's 91* are worth their weight in gold and are no less than hundreds themselves.

While Dhoni's magnificent knock completed India's chase for World Cup glory, India would hope that Rahul's superb start to the 2023 ODI World Cup would help the Men in Blue to end their ODI World Cup drought.

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