(Video) KL Rahul’s Iconic Celebration For His Daughter After Scoring 8th ODI Ton in Rajkot

KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty welcomed their daughter, Evaarah, on March 24, 2025, celebrating the moment with a charming social media post.

(Video) KL Rahul’s Iconic Celebration For His Daughter After Scoring 8th ODI Ton in Rajkot

KL Rahul made a special celebratory gesture for his daughter after scoring hundred against New Zealand. (via India Today)

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KL Rahul showcased his exceptional batting skills in India’s second ODI against New Zealand, at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. After completing his century, Rahul performed a special celebratory gesture dedicated to his nine-month-old daughter.

Rahul’s performance in the 50-over format has been outstanding since he changed his role in the Indian ODI team to a lower-middle-order finisher, moving away from his usual positions as a top-order batsman or opener. His good form was evident in India’s previous home series against South Africa last year, where he amassed 126 runs in two innings, closing out games with a strike-rate of 127.74.

The 33-year-old appears to be maintaining his excellent form, having successfully closed out a 300-run chase for the Indian team in the opening ODI of the ongoing white-ball series against New Zealand, in Baroda. In the second ODI in Rajkot, KL Rahul has once again demonstrated his batting prowess, saving the Men in Blue from a precarious position to help post a 284-run total against the Blackcaps.

Kiwi debutant Kristian Clarke dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer early into the game, as a result of which Rahul had to anchor the innings. He reached his century in a spectacular manner in the 49th over, hitting a six over long-on off a full-toss from Kyle Jamieson. Cementing his reputation as India’s crisis man, he remained unbeaten with a score of 112 runs off 92 balls, which included 11 fours and one six.

Rahul is well-known for his celebratory century gestures, a tradition he upheld after reaching his 8th ODI hundred. Immediately after crossing the 100-run mark, he removed his helmet and left glove, then waved his bat in a grand manner.

Simultaneously, he whistled with his left hand, an emotional tribute to his nine-month-old daughter, Evaarah. Rahul had performed this ‘whistle’ celebration before, notably after scoring a century against the West Indies in a Test match in Ahmedabad last year.

Furthermore, this century was Rahul’s third while batting at number 5. This ODI hundred ended a significant wait for him, as his previous one came during a match against the Netherlands in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup.

Rajkot masterclass: KL Rahul overtakes legendary Mohammad Azharuddin after stunning 8th ODI ton

While all the other Indian batters, apart from Shubman Gill, failed to score 30+ runs in the team’s second ODI against New Zealand, KL Rahul turned up. The veteran wicket-keeper batter notched up his eighth hundred in the 50-over format, as he finished with 112 off 92 balls. 

KL Rahul Md. Azharuddin record
KL Rahul surpassed Mohammad Azharuddin’s century tally in ODIs. (via India Today)

It was a challenging task for KL Rahul to navigate through the middle and death overs, given India had already lost its entire top order for just 118 runs by the 24th over. Despite this, the 33-year-old stood firm, building a vital 73-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja for the fifth wicket, which helped push India to a total of 191 runs by the end of the 38th over, before forming another 50+ run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy.

With this knock, Rahul surpassed the legendary former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin‘s overall tally of centuries in the 50-over format. Azharuddin, despite being India’s seventh-highest ODI run-getter, managed only seven hundreds across 308 innings. KL Rahul, on the other hand, is placed ahead of him and now has eight ODI hundreds for India in only 85 innings.

Overall, KL Rahul has an impressive career ODI record, having scored 3,709 runs in 93 matches, which also includes 20 half-centuries. Although he began his career as an opener, his move down the batting order has been beneficial, raising his ODI batting average to 51.67.

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