KL Rahul in action against New Zealand in 2nd T20I
Indian opener KL Rahul on Sunday achieved a unique feat, a world record to be precise, with his 11th half-century and second consecutive in the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand at the Eden Park in Auckland. Rahul achieved the feat during the second T20I match.
Rahul scored a 50-ball 57* against the Black Caps on Sunday, laced with three boundaries and two sixes, to guide India to a seven-wicket win in the second T20I. The knock was followed by his 56 in the first T20I at the same venue. With back-to-back fifties in the series, Rahul became the first wicketkeeper ever to score two straight half-centuries in his first two matches as a wicketkeeper. He also joined Virat Kohli and Rohit on the list of most consecutive T20I fifties by Indians. All three have three to their name, although Kohli has acheived the feat thrice in his career.
The New Zealand series is his first T20I contest where Rahul appears as a primary-choice keeper. He previously performed the role in the ODI series against Australia at home, where Rahul impressed the team management and subsequently replaced Rishabh Pant to become the first-choice keeper.
Talking about the game, the Indian bowlers performed impressively in the second game to keep New Zealand below-par at the venue with shorter boundaries. New Zealand finished with just 132 for five. In reply, India lost Rohit Sharma early again, while Virat Kohli managed only 11 runs. Rahul combined with Shreyas Iyer to stitch a 86-run stand for the third wicket to guide India to the target with 15 balls to spare.
