'It was important for me to get some batting time' - KL Rahul after unbeaten century in ODI series finale

KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 129 off 87 balls in the third and final ODI against West Indies at New Chandigarh on October 3, 2026, powering India to a total of 351/7. The innings was his ninth ODI century and his second-fastest hundred in the format, comprising 10 fours and six sixes.

During the knock, Rahul crossed 10,000 international runs, becoming the 15th Indian cricketer to reach that landmark. The century was also his fourth ODI hundred while batting at No. 5, bringing him level with MS Dhoni for the most hundreds by an Indian batter at that position.

Rahul had not been required to bat in the first two ODIs of the series, played in Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati, as India chased down both targets comfortably. The third ODI therefore gave him his first extended opportunity with the bat in the series.

Why was batting time so important for Rahul in this match?

Rahul had last batted for a long duration in ODI cricket in the middle order in early January 2026 against New Zealand. With the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup scheduled to begin in October 2027, he was keen to use this innings to test the work he had been putting in away from match situations, making the extended knock at New Chandigarh particularly significant for his preparations.

"Happy to have scored 129 runs but disappointed that we couldn't clean sweep the series. Had we done that, then the happiness level would have been at the peak. Nonetheless, I wanted to spend more time with the bat out there in the middle and the last time I really got to bat for a long duration in ODI cricket, in the middle-order was in early January this year against New Zealand, and since then I haven't really got a lot of time to play a long innings.

"And next year is a big one, with the World Cup starting in October, so it's important for me to get valuable batting time because off the field I'm trying a few things and I want to test that in the game. And only then will you know whether the work that you're putting behind the scenes is working or not, or what I need to do differently. So yeah, it was important for me to get some batting time, so I'm happy about that," Rahul said via JioStar.

What records did Rahul's innings add to his ODI career?

The unbeaten 129 was Rahul's ninth ODI century overall and his second-fastest in the format. Reaching the milestone off 87 balls underlined the tempo at which he constructed the innings while remaining not out at the close of India's 50 overs, and the knock also confirmed his status as one of India's most reliable middle-order finishers in the ODI side.

The innings placed Rahul alongside MS Dhoni with four ODI centuries at the No. 5 position for India, the most by any Indian batter at that batting slot. Crossing 10,000 international runs during the same knock made him the 15th Indian cricketer to achieve that aggregate across all formats, a landmark that underscores the consistency he has shown across Tests, ODIs and T20Is throughout his international career.