KL Rahul etched his name in World Cup history by breaking Rohit Sharma's previous record for the fastest century by an Indian batter in the tournament.
Rohit achieved the feat in 63 deliveries against Afghanistan last month, and Rahul outpaced him by reaching the milestone in just 62 balls during the match against the Netherlands at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Rahul's explosive innings, featuring 11 boundaries and four maximums, propelled him to the century mark in record time, concluding the league stage of the World Cup in a manner consistent with how he began it—in style. He commenced the tournament with a stellar performance, scoring an unbeaten 97 against Australia in a crucial chase at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Despite consistently batting in crucial situations, Rahul had been awaiting a big score until the match against the Netherlands at his home ground. Coming in at 200/3 in the 29th over after Virat Kohli's dismissal, Rahul wasted no time in finding his rhythm, expertly piercing the gaps and showcasing precision in shot-making.
Teaming up with Shreyas Iyer, Rahul intensified the run-scoring, particularly in the final 10 overs, where India scored at a rate of nearly 12 runs per over. This marks Rahul's second century in the World Cup, with his first ODI World Cup century occurring against Sri Lanka in 2019 at Leeds.
Having embraced the role of wicketkeeper and performed consistently since his return to the side, Rahul's stellar form is a relief for the team management. With the entire batting order firing on all cylinders, India heads into the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai on November 15 with confidence and momentum.
