KL Rahul, who faced severe criticism after India’s loss to Australia in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final, has now emerged as a key player in India’s triumph at the recent Champions Trophy. His outstanding performance in the tournament has earned him widespread praise.

Since 2020, Rahul has played as India’s middle-order batsman at No. 5 in ODIs, providing stability to the team. Despite Rishabh Pant’s return from injury, Rahul continues to be the first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman for the team.

Rahul delivered an exceptional performance in the Champions Trophy, scoring 140 runs at an average of 140. He was dismissed only once, in a match against New Zealand, where he scored 23 runs. His tournament average of 140 is now the highest by an Indian player in ICC white-ball tournaments, surpassing Virat Kohli’s record from nine years ago.

Kohli had previously set the record in the 2016 T20 World Cup, scoring 273 runs at an average of 136.50. With his Champions Trophy performance, Rahul has now surpassed Kohli’s mark.

Among Indian cricketers who have achieved an average above 100 in ICC tournaments, Rahul now leads with 140. Kohli follows him with an average of 136.50 from five matches in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif is in third place, having averaged 130 in five matches. Other players in the list include Kohli (129), Sourav Ganguly (116), Sunil Gavaskar (113), and Kohli again with an average of 106.33 in another tournament.

Overall, Rahul’s average ranks as the seventh highest in ICC tournament history and the third highest in Champions Trophy history. The highest average in ICC tournaments belongs to former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar, who scored 209 runs at an astonishing average of 209 in the 2000 Champions Trophy, playing only two innings.