'It Was Fun Batting With Ravindra Jadeja': KL Rahul Lauds Jadeja Post Winning The 1st ODI Vs AUS

KL Rahul came in and stitched a 108-run stand for the sixth wicket alongside Jadeja.

KL Rahul starred with the bat for India on Friday after smashing a fantastic half-century in the first ODI against Australia in Mumbai. The Karnataka-based player played a crucial inning of 75 not out alongside Ravindra Jadeja who also contributed with 45 runs and helped India win the match at Wankhede.

“Saw three wickets fall down early, Starc was swinging the ball well and when he brings the ball back in, he is a dangerous bowler. Just tried to play normal cricketing shots. Got a few boundaries away and that settled my nerves. I batted with Shubman, Hardik, and Jadeja. The talk was that there’s help on the wicket but we did not want to get into our shell and play out a certain bowler. We wanted to be positive and put the loose balls away. If we are good with out footwork, we could do well and it was fun batting with Jadeja,” the right-hander said after the match.

“The minute the left-hander walked in, I got a few loose ball. That happens to the best of bowlers. The left-hander walking in and that worked for us. Jaddu batted beautifully and he runs hard between the wickets. He is in great form and he knows what to do in those situations,” he said.

KL also spoke about the pitch of Wankhede and how Shami’s brilliant spell helped them.

“When we started off, I didn’t think the pitch will help the bowlers that much. Once Shami came back for his second spell, he did wonders. Any team that wants to win needs to pick wickets in the middle overs. When there’s bounce, I like keeping wickets. It is a bit of a challenge when it is slow and low, it is challenging physically. The ball was moving around and I enjoy playing here at the Wankhede,” he said.

The Indian team ended up winning the match by five wickets and are 1-0 up in the series. Australia batted first and made 188 runs. Mitchell Marsh top scored for the Kangaroos as he scored 65-ball 81.

In reply, India chased down a total of 189 runs easily. However, they were struggling at 39/4, but then KL Rahul came in and stitched a 108-run stand for the sixth wicket alongside Jadeja.