KL Rahul 60 off 56: When Captain Cool Suddenly Switched to Captain Carnage Mode!
Ranchi, 30 Nov 2025 – For 42 overs we all thought KL Rahul came out to bat with two missions only:
- Give 80 % strike to Virat Kohli
- Play the most chilled defensive shots in ODI history
Then the last 7 overs happened… and Captain Cool suddenly turned into Captain Kaboom! 60 off 56 balls, 3 massive sixes, and a strike rate of 107 – all after looking like he was batting in a different time zone when Virat was on 134*.
Phase 1 (Overs 31–42): The Ultimate Wingman Era
When Rahul walked in at 200-4, Virat was on fire. Rahul’s first 37 balls looked like this:
- 26 runs (mostly singles)
- 0 fours, 0 sixes
- Strike rate under 70
- Every time Virat hit a six → Rahul clapping like a proud big brother
Twitter was making memes:
“KL Rahul batting like he has a 9 AM meeting tomorrow.”
“Rahul’s bat has two sides: leave & defend. No edge for aggression.”
Phase 2 (Overs 43–49): “Arre bhai, ab meri bhi baari!”
Virat got out for 135 in the 43rd over. Score: 276-5.
Rahul looked at Jadeja, looked at the scoreboard, looked at the bowler… and suddenly remembered he is actually one of the cleanest hitters in world cricket.
What happened next was pure cinema:
- 44th over – Marco Jansen bangs it short → Rahul upper-cuts for SIX over third man. Crowd loses it.
- 46th over – Prenelan Subrayen flights one → Rahul dances down and smokes it over long-on. Second SIX!
- 48th over – Jansen again, slower ball → Rahul waits and launches it 92 metres into the top tier. THIRD SIX!
In his last 19 balls, Rahul scored 34 runs with 3 sixes. Strike rate in death overs? 178+
“For 42 overs Rahul was playing Test cricket in an ODI. In the last 7 overs he remembered it’s actually a 2025 white-ball game!”
The Jadeja-Rahul 65-Run Carnage (36 balls)
People were expecting Jadeja to go berserk. Instead, both went berserk together!
- Jadeja: 29* off 17 (2 fours, 1 six)
- Rahul: 34 off 19 in this partnership
- Run rate in last 6 overs: 12.66
India went from 276-5 (43rd over) to 343-6 (49th over). That’s 67 runs in 6 overs after Virat’s dismissal!
Funny Moments Only KL Rahul Can Provide
- After his first six, he gave that shy little smile – like “sorry guys, galti se ho gaya”
- After the 92-metre six, even Virat in the dugout stood up and started clapping like a fan.
- When he got out (caught de Kock off Jansen trying one big shot too many), he walked back laughing – but the entire stadium gave him a standing ovation. Rahul just raised his bat with that “achha thik hai” expression.
Why This 60 Is Underrated Gold
Everyone will talk about Virat’s 135 (and they should), but Rahul’s knock was the perfect ODI innings:
- First 37 balls → absorbed pressure, rotated strike, let Virat destroy
- Last 19 balls → changed gears faster than a Ferrari
- Ended with 60 off 56, 3 sixes, SR 107 – and lifted India from “good total” to “monster total”
Balls 38–56 → 34 runs @ SR 178
Captain, keeper, anchor, finisher – all in one knock!
South African Bowlers After Facing Late-Order Rahul
- Marco Jansen final figures: 10-0-76-2 → looked like he aged 5 years in 7 overs
- Nandre Burger: 10-0-65-2 → the only guy smiling because he got Kohli
- Rest of the attack: “We thought the storm was over when Kohli was batting… little did we know there was a second storm called Rahul!”
Final Word
KL Rahul walked in as the calm, defensive, “I’ll just support Virat” guy. He walked back as the guy who added 67 crucial runs after Kohli’s dismissal and turned 300 into 343.
Stand-in captain? More like stand-in superhero.
Wingman for 42 overs? Absolutely.
Finisher for the last 7? Hell yes!
So next time someone says “KL Rahul only plays slow pretty innings”, show them this knock. The man just proved he can play Test cricket and T20 cricket… in the same innings!
Respect button for Captain Cool 2.0
#KLRahul #CaptainRahul #INDvsSA #RanchiODI #FromAnchorToSmasher
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