'He Built Pressure On Kohli': Ex-Pakistan Cricketer On KL Rahul's World Cup Final Knock

After enjoying a glorious 10-match winning streak, Team India’s juggernaut came to an end in the World Cup final. India conceded a six-wicket defeat to Australia in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.

Batting first, India could manage to post a total of 240 against the Aussies in the final. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli forged a solid partnership of 67 to guide India to a defendable total.

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Rahul ended up as India’s highest scorer in the World Cup final having scored 66 runs off 107 balls. Many lauded Rahul’s valiant knock but former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir did not seem much impressed with the India wicketkeeper’s style of batting.

During a television show, Mohammad Amir stated that KL Rahul’s conservative approach did build pressure on Kohli who notched a half-century against the Aussies in the World Cup final.

The ex-Pakistan fast bowler felt that despite boasting an impressive strike rate, Rahul ended up producing a slow innings in that fixture. Meanwhile, Kohli departed having pulled off a crucial knock of 54 off 63 balls. Kohli scored at a strike rate of 61.68 in the World Cup final.

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“I don’t know, for whatever reason, Rahul played a very slow innings. He built the pressure on Kohli. He [Rahul] is not a player who plays slowly. He plays with a good strike. I feel that destroyed the Indian innings,” Mohammad Amir was heard saying in Hindi on a show.

KL Rahul capped off his World Cup 2023 campaign having scored 452 runs in 11 games. The 31-year-old registered an average of 75.33 and a strike rate of 90.76 in the tournament. Overall, Rahul scored one century and two half-centuries at the World Cup.

In the final, KL Rahul ended up with a strike rate of 61.68. His World Cup final innings comprised one boundary. Ace Australia pacer Mitchell Starc dismissed Rahul in the 42nd over. Later, Suryakumar Yadav contributed with the bat, having scored 18 off 28 balls.

The target, however, did not seem quite challenging as Australia scored the winning runs with 42 balls to spare. Australia opening batter Travis Head produced a sensational century to earn a resounding six-wicket victory for his side. The win against hosts India helped Australia in earning their sixth World Cup title.