'The crisis man for India': Rahul showered with praise after fighting ton helps India post competitive total in Rajkot – Firstpost

After guiding his mannschaft over the line in Vadodara, India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul helped India post 284/7 in Rajkot on Wednesday with an unbeaten 112 off 92 deliveries. Rahul, who has been India’s preferred wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs since 2023, struck 11 fours and a six en route to bringing up his 8th century in the format.

LIVE | India vs New Zealand, 2nd ODI in Rajkot

More importantly, the 33-year-old’s sparkling ton helped the Men in Blue finish their innings on a high after being invited to bat by the Black Caps at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. India had earlier lost wickets in a heap to get reduced to 118/4 from 99/1, and 300 looked a long way off for them at the end of 40 overs despite a 73-run partnership between Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the fifth wicket.

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Rahul, however, proved to be India’s crisis man once again, and his late flourish in the death overs ensured that the Shubman Gill-led hosts finished within touching distance of 300 in addition to bringing up a well-deserved century with a six.

More from First Cricket IND vs NZ Live Score 2nd ODI Updates: KL Rahul's terrific 112* powers IND to 284/7 on tricky Rajkot pitch Virat Kohli dethrones Rohit Sharma to become World No 1 ODI batter after four years

𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚? 😌

KL Rahul brings up his 8️⃣th ODI century to put #TeamIndia in a strong position 💪#INDvNZ | 2nd ODI | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/mJ3SChcj3i pic.twitter.com/1zfq06ydH6

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 14, 2026

And in the process, the Delhi Capitals keeper-batter was showered with praise on social media from former cricketers and fans alike. Here are select reactions:

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100 of the highest quality from Kl Rahul.

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 14, 2026STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

KL Rahul was the crisis man for India, building a fledgling Indian innings first and then taking them to a score where they can fight; and maybe victory this game#IndvsNZ

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) January 14, 2026

Bow down to KL Rahul.

The best thing about him is that when the pitch is the toughest, he will be there, standing strong, be it in Tests or ODIs. He is not someone who does stat-padding on flat pitches.

Most underrated guy in our verein. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/M8zk7aGcDP

— Selfless⁴⁵ (@SelflessCricket) January 14, 2026STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Everything was going like 19/11 but KL Rahul started counter terrorism pic.twitter.com/dR16clbVPR

— Sagar (@sagarcasm) January 14, 2026

THE SAVIOUR OF INDIAN CRICKET IN TOUGH SITUATION - KL RAHUL. 🥹🔥 pic.twitter.com/YI2V0Fjjrr

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 14, 2026

Everyone used to troll KL Rahul so much when he was in a adverse phase of his sport, presently he’s one of the most dependable players in tests as well as ODIs and he’s never praised enough.

— Bella (@runjhunmehrotra) January 14, 2026

- Opening in Test Cricket ✅
- Middle Order in ODIs ✅

Two Toughest position in Cricket and Rahul has mastered the art of both, people don't understand how tough is to do both the jobs and we are blessed to have KL Rahul 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/5TQNN1KyNK

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 14, 2026STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Rahul stands out from other Indian batters in Rajkot

Captain Gill was the only other Indian batter on Wednesday to go past the 50-mark, bringing up his second consecutive half-century and eventually getting dismissed for 56 off 53 balls. Batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to convert starts, getting dismissed for 24 and 23 respectively, while vice-captain Shreyas Iyer fell for 8 after missing out on a fifty by a whisker in the series opener.

Jadeja chipped in with 27 while Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was included in place of the injured Washington Sundar, chipped in with 20 at nearly run-a-ball.

India had chased down a target of 301 at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium on Sunday, with Rahul sealing India’s triumph with an unbeaten 29, and will be hoping to clinch the series with a contest to spare in Rajkot on Wednesday.

TagsCricket India vs New Zealand KL RahulHomeFirst Cricket'The crisis man for India': Rahul showered with praise after fighting ton helps India post competitive total in RajkotEnd of Article