"He looks like a much better version of himself than before" - Irfan Pathan on KL Rahul after IND vs AUS 2023 World Cup match
Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan has noticed a tremendous change in KL Rahul's approach after his sensational 97* against Australia in the Men in Blue's opening game of the 2023 World Cup in Chennai on Sunday, October 8.
Rahul walked into bat with India in a precarious situation at 2/3. However, he added an incredible 165 runs with Virat Kohli for the fourth wicket and ensured that the Men in Blue got over the line comfortably by the end.
Irfan Pathan was amazed to see the kind of consistency and assuredness in KL Rahul's batting since the latter's comeback from injury. Here's what he told Star Sports:
“He doesn’t seem like the Rahul who used to take pressure before, now he looks like he’s soaking that pressure, and it can be seen in the result. And because of that, he doesn’t even seem like he’s going to get out while he is batting.
"There seems to be control, he’s finding the singles, playing the big shots, he’s also using the sweep shots, seems to be having a lot of time while pulling the ball. He has worked a lot on his technique, but most importantly, he looks like a much better version of himself than before.”
Irfan Pathan hails Virat Kohli ODI performances
Irfan Pathan also lauded Virat Kohli for his knock of 85 and reiterated why he is arguably one of the best in the business when it comes to ODI cricket. Pathan was quite impressed with the way Kohli absorbed the pressure and gradually put his side on top.
On this, he stated:
“It has happened many times that Virat Kohli has played such knocks, where wickets have fallen, and wickets are continuously happening to fall at the other end. He was still able to put pressure back onto the bowlers and that is why he is regarded as one of the all-time modern masters of the game.
"But playing according to the pitch, according to the expectations set for the first game of the World Cup, and the way pressure had also been built up around the match, is why I would consider this to be truly one of his best knocks.”
India will face Afghanistan in their next World Cup clash in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11.