India, March 5 -- KL Rahul's roar after finishing the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia with a big six over long-on narrated a thing or two. 15 months ago, in the ODI World Cup final in front of 100 thousand people in Ahmedabad, Rahul had faltered against the same opposition. Not so much in terms of runs but the pace at which it was scored. Seeing India lose three quick wickets after a blistering start provided by captain Rohit Sharma, Rahul went into a shell, trying to rebuild the Indian innings with Virat Kohli.

He was successful, too. But it all went downhill when Kohli dragged one back onto his stumps. Wickets continued falling at the other end, and Rahul, caught in two minds, could never find another gear. What was the r...