India, Jan. 14 -- KL Rahul once again proved his value in testing circumstances, producing a composed century in the Rajkot ODI against New Zealand. The 33-year-old remained unbeaten on 112, anchoring the innings at a time when India desperately needed stability. Walking in at No. 5, Rahul absorbed the pressure after the quick dismissals of in-form Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli. With other batters unable to convert starts, the wicketkeeper-batter took responsibility, paced his knock intelligently and ensured India had a competitive total to defend.

Rahul's innings was built more on control than brute force. He struck just one six, which brought up his century, and found the fence 11 times during his 92-ball stay at the crease. Showing cal...