Pune: On reaching his century in the second ODI against England here on Friday, KL Rahul celebrated in an unusual manner. In next to no time, the picture of Rahul closing his eyes and covering the ears with his hands went viral.
It was as if he was shutting out the criticism that he had faced recently for a slump in form.
The stylish right-hander, who scored 108 off 114 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes to power India to 336 for 6, had received a lot of flak after scoring just 15 runs in four T20 Internationals against England, and was dropped for the final game.
Despite his poor form, he retained his place in the playing XI in the ODI series. He repaid the faith showed by the team management, smashing an unbeaten 62 in the first game on Tuesday and following it up with his fifth ODI century today.
Skipper Virat Kohli had to face questions on Rahul’s form ahead of the ODI series. He defended his teammate, saying: “I can only think about one thing when people talk about a player is out of form. Kuch toh log kahenge logon ka kaam hain kehna, chodo bekaar ki baaton mein kahi beet na jaaye raina,” he had said, quoting a famous Hindi song.
“There is a lot of impatience outside the cricket set up. People love listening to criticism and it has only increased,” Kohli added.
Rahul’s reaction on Friday was in keeping with Kohli and the team’s policy of backing proven performers even when they are going through a lean patch.
