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Former Pakistani skipper Misbah-ul-Haq hit out at Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul following his 66-run knock against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final match on Sunday.
While speaking on a Pakistani-based channel, A Sports, Misbah said that Rahul did not trust the other batters in the first inning of the game. He further added that the 31-year-old was thinking of reaching the 250-run mark for his team and it got difficult. However, the former cricketer also praised the Indian right-handed batter and said that he played very well against spin bowling. "KL plays spin very well and we have seen it throughout the tournament. He plays well square of the wicket, front of the wicket, and uses his feet really well. But today his approach was that he was waiting. He maybe was not trusting the other batters. He was thinking about getting the team to 250 and it got difficult," said Misbah. Coming to the match, India bundled out on a score of 240 in 50 overs. On a tough batting surface, skipper Rohit Sharma (47 in 31 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes), Virat Kohli (54 in 63 balls, with four boundaries) and KL Rahul (66 in 107 balls, with one four) posted important knocks. Mitchell Starc (3/55) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. Skipper Pat Cummins (2/34) and Josh Hazlewood (2/60) also bowled well. Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell got a wicket each. While chasing 241, India had the Aussies down at 47/3. Knocks from Travis Head (137 in 120 balls, with 15 fours and four sixes) and Marnus Labuschagne (58 in 110 balls, with four boundaries) left the Indian team without answers and guided them to a six-wicket win. The World Cup finalists will now compete in a five-match T20I series which will begin on Thursday in Visakhapatnam. (ANI)
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