KL Rahul was informed only five minutes before the toss that he was playing against Pakistan
The captain of the Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma, revealed that KL Rahul's inclusion for the match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super 4 stage was a last-minute call after Shreya held out because of his back spasm. Rahul joined the Indian cricket team midway through their Asia Cup 2023 campaign after missing the group stage as he continued recovery from a niggle. He last played a competitive match back in May this year during the Indian Premier League and was told five minutes before the toss that he was going to be included in the playing XI for the Pakistan fixture.
Rahul responded in style with an amazing century as he scored 111 not out to help India post a formidable 356/2 in 50 overs.
At the post-match presentation, Rohit said, "Very happy for KL. He was a last-minute change. It's not easy coming back from an injury. Five minutes before the toss, we had to tell him to play, and it’s not easy to come out in those circumstances."
Besides Rahul, Virat Kohli also struck a century and, in fact, finished as the top scorer of the match with a brilliant 122 not out. It was the 47th ODI century of his career, and he took the player-of-the-match award for the effort.