It’s the year of the T20 World Cup, and KL Rahul isn’t looking like a contender for an India spot. It’s not a given that the 31-year-old will be considered for the format in the future, despite his aspirations to reshape his role in the IPL. However, Rahul’s value to the Indian team has not diminished. And, ironically, his status as a middle-order batsman has risen in other formats, as evidenced by his near-flawless knock in Hyderabad.

Rahul’s approach to the numerous scenarios he faced throughout his innings demonstrated his maturity from having played 50 Tests. Whenever England appeared to be on the verge of breaking through, they were met with Rahul’s positioned yet offensive reaction.

When he went in, India had just lost Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over of Day 2, and Rahul was almost out the second ball when Ben Foakes failed to catch an edge. It would be the final blemish on a 123-ball performance in which he rarely put a foot wrong, literally.

It might be said of Rahul’s India journey since September 2023, when he returned to the Asia Cup and scored a century against Pakistan despite a last-minute call-up. His results reflect a purple patch in the longer formats, which may have benefited from not playing a T20 game during this period.

In four Test innings, he has a hundred and is nearly as good as one today, with an average of just around fifty. However, his selection amidst other competitors stems from his performance in the ODI format, where he has excelled as a middle-order hitter. With an average of 69.5 and seven fifty-plus scores, Rahul has established himself as one of the world’s top middle-order bats.

It helps that his game against pace, developed as an opener, is superb, but what has pushed it up a notch is his development as a spinner. With an average of 119 and a S/R of 87 in ODIs, he competes to be the finest middle-order hitter against spin since his comeback.

It’s an expansion of the game Rahul had to play in front of more than 28000 people in Hyderabad on Friday. Rahul drove twice through the vacant mid-on area against left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, thwarting England’s attempts to stifle scoring with spin. After the nerves had subsided, he went about it in a more normal manner.

“Enjoying hitting in the middle of the order. I enjoyed opening the batting for so long. I enjoyed it, but you get a little more time in the dressing room to put your feet up and see what the conditions are like, what the bowlers are doing, what their plans are, and how the pitch is behaving…you walk in with a little idea of how the game is going and that’s helping me play better,” he’d tell the broadcasters at the end of the day.

The wristwork, a distinguishing characteristic of his batting against spin, was employed to guide and push balls into vacant areas, even when there were four players on the offside to fill the gaps. England’s spinners also provided some long hops along the way, which aided his scoring attempts and allowed him to cruise along at a strike rate approaching 70.

It helped that Rahul had a plan, as he explained the advantages of batting in the middle order. “I walked in to see where I could run. I also spoke with Rohit in the morning, and he mentioned the wicket was a little slow, so you couldn’t get in and play your shots right away. So just allow yourself some time, which is what I did.

“Once I got a few shots, I was only thinking runs and not thinking how I can get off strike…how I can get runs and in that bargain if I couldn’t get a boundary, I’d still hit it in the gap and got singles,” he said.

At 223/4, when Shreyas Iyer fell with India losing by 23, there appeared to be another. During that time, he targeted Rehan Ahmed, hitting him for a couple of sixes and fours to put India ahead and brilliantly directing the innings, while also allowing Ravindra Jadeja to settle in. And closing the door again on England.

“I know I can make shots all over the pitch. However, it has also cost me a wicket in Test cricket. So simply knowing the perfect balance of when to play attacking shots and when to play a spell if they’re bowling well. These are the things I’ve been working on since I was dropped from the Test team a few years ago.”

The shot that eventually put him out on 86 was his second mistake, but it occurred at a time when Rahul was attempting to accelerate the game past England. India would gladly accept what he gave her today. And the pledge he has made for the future.