KL Rahul the unsung hero proves his worth

There are stars in the Indian team, and then there are stars like KL Rahul - quiet, uncelebrated, often unsung, mostly maligned and perennially trolled. As skipper Rohit Sharma would say later, the Champions Trophy glory wouldn't have been possible without a total team effort and if one name were to be picked for a standout yet underrated contribution, it would be Rahul. A silent warrior, he provided a calming influence, giving direction to the team's needs in crunch situations.

When the situation got tense in the semifinal against Australia, he told Virat Kohli to protect one end and volunteered to take risks in every over. It so happened that an otherwise settled and sorted batter like Kohli lost his cool and threw away his wicket playing a rash shot. Hardik Pandya came out and played a couple of big shots to ease the tension but when the situation was getting too close for the team's comfort, Rahul blocked one end and stayed till the end to see the side over the line.

Even in the final, the game nearly went out of control when Axar holed out to long-off, an avoidable show of aggression that brought about the batter's downfall, putting the side in a tricky situation. Once again, it was Rahul who rose to the occasion, remaining unbeaten on 34. He played a few crucial big hits to ensure that the asking rate did not get out of hand. Rahul was there to guide the team across the line, averting what could have been a potentially disastrous and inexplicably cataclysmic collapse. His presence was a symbol of calm, sensible, and resolve. In fact, it was a gift for the Indian team that a player of Rahul's composure stepped up in such situations. Few teams have the luxury of such ability and temperament.

Rohit rightly acknowledged the utility and value of Rahul to the side and lauded his role in the team's successful campaign. "KL obviously has been doing a lot of challenging work for the team for so many years now. And I'm very, very happy with how he managed to pull this tournament and batted in pressure situations, both in semifinals and this game as well. The contribution may not be 70-80, but those 30-40s are very, very important," the skipper said.

"When you're chasing, run the ball at the back end, it can get tough. It can get difficult. But with KL being there, we know that he's got that mind where he keeps himself calm and keeps the dressing room also very calm, so I'm very happy with how he managed in this tournament and really happy for you to know the contributions that he made for the team."

Interestingly, in a career spanning just over a decade, this was Rahul's first ICC trophy. In four of the five games he batted during the competition, his scores were 41 (vs Bangladesh), 23 (vs New Zealand), 42 not out (vs Australia in the semifinal), and 34 not out (vs New Zealand in the final). His aggregate for the tournament was 140, with three unbeaten knocks, though notably, without a single half-century.

"Cricket's a team game and whatever the team requires of you, you need to be able to do that. You need to be able to accept that firstly and find a way to put in performances for the team and understand what your role is and what the responsibility is," Rahul said of his role in the lower middle order. For someone who had primarily been an opener, this flexibility in his approach was refreshing to see.

"ICC victories are not so easy to get. It's my first one, so I'm very happy and over the moon. It hasn't been one or two performances. I think all 11, 12 players have stood up when the opportunity has come in. It is one of the biggest reasons why we could end up strong," Rahul said.

On the eve of the final, Rahul arrived at the ICC Academy facility almost an hour before his teammates for practice. He warmed up alone on the field before heading to the batting nets, where he practised hitting a series of big shots. Knowing that his turn to bat would come lower down the order, he consciously practiced with the old ball and always looked to clear the boundary. His unbeaten knocks of 42 and 34 in the knockout games were invaluable and worth their weight in gold.

"It requires a lot of preparation, requires a lot of work outside the cricket field - just sitting and thinking about how I need to take each game and how I need to perform in different situations," Rahul explained about his preparation and work ethics. "(I) just watch some of the players that I like and some of the players that bat at number six and how they've been successful previously...so just watch, learn and understand my role. I am happy that I've been given different roles and I've been able to perform."