The three-match ODI series between India and Australia kicked off on Friday at Wankhede in Mumbai. It was the Men in Blue, led by interim skipper Hardik Pandya, who won the game by five wickets. It was a day that went a lot right for the bowlers, especially the pacers, with batters of either side struggling to score runs freely.
On this track, when the going got tough, it was KL Rahul who diffused any threat from the Aussies and played a wonderful knock to see India home. And it was very crucial for Rahul to shine since he has been under the scanner after a series of poor performances in T20Is and Tests, which led to several fans and former players criticising the batter. And one such critic was Venkatesh Prasad who has built a reputation for being Rahul’s harshest critic in recent times.
Prasad lauds ‘composed’ Rahul and team India
Prasad, however, after Rahul’s recent ODI knock against Australia, gave the batter the much-deserved plaudits. It was Rahul’s unbeaten innings of 75 off 91, with grit, technique and composure that took India over the finishing line, chasing a target of 189. Although the target was not massive, India were at 39-4 at one point with Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav all failing to score past 5 runs. But the sixth-wicket partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul ensured that the home side had the game under their grasp.
Prasad took to his Twitter handle to appreciate Rahul and the team’s performance. “Excellent composure under pressure and a brilliant innings by KL Rahul. Top knock. Great support by Ravindra Jadeja and a good win for India,” wrote Prasad on Twitter. This came only a month after Prasad said that claimed Rahul’s selection in India’s Test team is something that had not happened over the last 20 years to an Indian top-order batter whose average was as low as his. Prasad also went on to say that Rahul’s inclusion shakes his belief in justice.
Prasad’s change in opinion about Rahul has initiated plenty of reactions from fans on social media platforms.
Here are some of the reactions from the fans on Twitter –
Finally you got the answers of your previous tweets on why backing @klrahul is important for Team India
— Harsh Rajput (@harsh_rajput27) March 17, 2023
Same energy. 😂 pic.twitter.com/JetrCCFNvZ
— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) March 17, 2023
So great of you to praise him silencing everyone who thought you are biased. You just stand for cricket and the country..
The know was superb and we took a 1 up in series..— Anoop Mundhra (@anoopmundhra) March 17, 2023
Venkatesh Prasad Career Thread:
Worst bowling avg for an Indian Pacer in tests- 35😱
Worst bowling avg for an Indian pacer in ODIs- 32.3😔
0 man of the match award in tests🤣
0 MOTM awards and 0 fifers in first 115 ODI games😳
India won only 1 away test game with Prasad in team😑— UjjwaL (@_ujjW4L_) March 17, 2023
Thanks #VenkateshPrasad for playing the role of #Jamwant and inspiring #KLRahul𓃵 to bounce back.#INDvsAUS
— Dr. Deepak (@DrSinghDeepak) March 17, 2023
Venkatesh Prasad while writing this tweet about Kl Rahul 😹😹 pic.twitter.com/mg0Bl9TPvX
— BALA (@erbmjha) March 17, 2023
Now @klrahul will be played for next 10 innings remembering this knock. Next 10 innings total consolidated score will be less than 75.
— Piyush (@Piyush53407949) March 18, 2023
Emotions while tweeting this pic.twitter.com/jfY2DnSGjV
— Shikhar Sagar (@crazy__shikhu) March 17, 2023
Please give some credit to Akash Chopra as well 😆
— Zaffar 🇮🇳 (@Zaffar_Nama) March 17, 2023
