KL Rahul is a confidence player and he can destroy any bowling attack on his day. This solid hundred against Bangladesh in Cardiff will give him a lot of confidence going into the World Cup 2019
New Delhi: After a disappointing performance in the first warm-up match against New Zealand, India gave a solid performance against Bangladesh at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff on Tuesday (May 28). The smiles are back in the Indian camp and they are all set to take on South Africa in their first match of the ICC World Cup 2019 on June 5.
Photos from India-Bangladesh match
There were many positives for India as many individuals stepped up and delivered but there were two performances that stood out and hold great importance for India before the start of the World Cup.
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Let's have a look at the two of the biggest positives for India from the convincing 95-run win over Bangladesh.
The debate surrounding India's No 4 batsman in World Cup 2019 was put to rest by KL Rahul. The stylish Karnataka batter put on a terrific exhibition of batting and smashed 108 runs off just 99 balls.
Rahul came in to bat when the score was 50/2 and captain Virat Kohli was batting confidently at the other end. Rahul batted positively but played very late to counter the swing. He was very watchful outside the off stump but whenever the ball was pitched in his zone, he smashed it for a boundary, more often than not.
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Rahul's biggest strength is his attractive stroke play, and that's exactly what we got to see at Cardiff. He played some of the most elegant strokes on a challenging wicket and sent a strong message to the team management that he has what it takes to bat at No 4 in English conditions.
Rahul has a habit of playing a loose stroke after a good start and throwing his wicket away. However, in Cardiff, he didn't throw the opportunity and scored one of the most important hundreds of his career. It was a perfect No 4 hundred as he first absorbed the pressure and then played the role of an aggressor to counter-attack Bangladeshi bowlers after a sluggish start.
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Rahul is a confidence player and he can destroy any bowling attack on his day. This solid hundred will give him a lot of confidence going into the World Cup and make India's chances, even more, brighter as an in-form Rahul can be a huge asset in the tournament.
After a few stressful and wicketless weeks, it was good to see Kuldeep Yadav smiling once again and picking wickets in his trademark style. His poor form and low confidence was a big worry for India and the team and fans were hoping for a confidence-boosting performance from Kuldeep before the start of the league games.
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Kuldeep took three important wickets and his body language and expressions changed as he suddenly found his lost rhythm, flight, and loop.
Yadav, as Virat Kohli said, is one of the pillars of India's bowling unit and his performance in the middle-overs will be a very critical factor for India in the World Cup 2019.
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