On October 3, 2026, in the third and final ODI against the West Indies at New Chandigarh, KL Rahul struck an undefeated 129 off 87 balls, leading India to a total of 351/7. With ten fours and six sixes, the innings was his second-fastest century in the format and his ninth ODI century.
KL Rahul became the fifteenth Indian cricket player to attain 10,000 international runs during the knock. In addition to being his fourth ODI century while batting at No. 5, the century tied MS Dhoni for the most hundreds scored by an Indian hitter in that position.
In the first two ODIs of the series, which were held in Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati, Rahul was not needed to bat because India easily chased down both objectives. He thus had his first prolonged batting opportunity in the series during the third ODI.
KL Rahul last batted in the middle order for an extended period of time in an ODI match against New Zealand in early January 2026. The extended knock at New Chandigarh was especially important for his preparations since he was eager to use this innings to evaluate the work he had been doing away from match conditions with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup set to start in October 2027.Although we were pleased to score 129 runs, we were unhappy that we were unable to win the series.
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We would have reached the highest level of enjoyment if we had done it. However, I wanted to spend more time with the bat out there in the middle, and I haven’t really had much time to play a long innings since I last had the opportunity to bat in the middle order in ODI cricket against New Zealand in early January of this year. I’m trying a few things off the pitch and want to test them in the game, so it’s crucial for me to get some meaningful batting experience since next year is a huge one, with the World Cup starting in October.
Only then will you be able to determine whether the work you’re doing behind the scenes is effective or what has to be done differently. KL Rahul stated, “So yeah, it was important for me to get some batting time, so I’m happy about that.”
Which records did KL Rahul set throughout his ODI innings?
KL Rahul’s undefeated 129 was his second-fastest century in the format and his eleventh ODI century overall. In addition to confirming his place as one of India’s most dependable middle-order finishers in the ODI squad, reaching the milestone off 87 balls highlighted the pace at which he built the innings while remaining unbeaten at the end of India’s 50 overs.
KL Rahul and MS Dhoni each had four ODI hundreds in the No. 5 position for India during the innings, the most of any Indian hitter at that batting position. He became the 15th Indian cricketer to reach 10,000 international runs in a single knock, a milestone that highlights the consistency he has demonstrated throughout his international career in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
