India vs England 2nd ODI: KL Rahul reveals significance of century celebration

KL Rahul shut out his critics in style as he scored his 5th century in one-day internationals, when he brought up a ton against England in the second ODI of the ongoing series in Pune. Rahul, who was completely out of form in the T20I series, played a crucial knock in the first ODI to signal his return to run scoring form. He carried the momentum forward with a great knock in the second match on Friday as played shots all around the park to score a century that allowed India to post a total of 336 runs after being put into bat.

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Rahul reacted to his his century with a peculiar celebration as he closed his eyes and blocked his ears with his fingers. When asked about the significance of the celebration during the innings break, Rahul said it was quite 'self explanatory' before going on to elaborate on it.

"It (the celebration) is just to shut out the noise, not to disrespect anyone. There are people out there who try to pull you down, at times you need to neglect them. So that's just a message to shut out that noise. When me and Virat were batting, we needed anything around 300, so happy with this total," the Karnataka batsman said.

Rahul came in to bat with India in a spot of bother, having lost both the openers with just 37 runs on board. Rahul stitched a crucial partnership with captain Virat Kohli as the duo steadied the innings.

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Kohli was dismissed for 66 with the score on 158 but Rahul carried on in the company of the explosive Rishabh Pant, who contributed with a quickfire 77 himself.

Rahul was eventually dismissed for 108 off 114 balls, an innings that was studded with 2 sixes and 7 boundaries.

"It was a hot day and it was important for us to get a partnership. Really happy with what we have achieved after 50 overs. Scoring runs makes you confident, and that's what you want to do. I was disappointed after the T20 series, but that's how the game goes. Few quality shots eased my nerves. Really happy I was able to build those partnerships with Virat and Rishabh," Rahul said about his innings.