Worth the wait in loads of runs, Rahul vindicates team's faith

The thinktank didn’t get frustrated with Rahul's string of injuries and they are now reaping rewards

By the time Australia introduced Adam Zampa into the bowling attack on Sunday, KL Rahul had already struck two sumptuous boundaries -- a classical cover drive off Josh Hazlewood to get off the mark and a punch through point against Pat Cummins.

But if you want a quick recap of why Rahul was the most impressive of all the batters at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, it is Zampa's opening over that you must go through.

When the leg-spinner landed his stock ball on a good length just outside off-stump, Rahul hung back and cut it past slip for four.

Two balls later, Zampa delivered a googly, a tad fuller and a bit wider, and Rahul again rocked back and opened his bat face so late he almost took the ball off the keeper's gloves. Two boundaries off the back foot when Zampa hadn't really erred on the shorter side.

What does Zampa do next? He does what most bowlers tend to do. He overcompensates by trying to bowl even fuller and dishes out a tempting full toss. Rahul takes a stride forward and times it sweetly to the right of deep point for four. The over costs 13 runs and, barring that final delivery, Zampa is left wondering whether he actually did much wrong on a track where the Indian spinners enjoyed plenty of assistance.