KL Rahul’s unbeaten 112 off 65 balls was the lone bright spot in Delhi Capitals’ crushing 10-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans, but it also reignited the debate around his role and intent in T20s. While many questioned his strike rate and ability to accelerate, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody came to Rahul’s defence, calling the criticism “extraordinary". “I always find the criticism around KL Rahul quite extraordinary. I think he's a lot better player than a lot of people give him credit for. And the way I look at this innings, I think it's an outstanding innings,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out. While acknowledging that match result often dictates public perception, Moody stressed that Rahul had done his job as the anchor, and it was the middle-order that failed to accelerate when it mattered most. “What's let them down and not reaching that 220 is the other batters that were in only struck at 150. On a [batting-friendly] surface, you want impact,” he added. Moody also highlighted the importance of supporting the anchor with high-impact cameos, which he felt were lacking. “When you've got someone in there that's anchoring, that's building the total, your role when you come in is to impact the game – 30 off ten balls… that suddenly take you to that 220.” IPL 2025: RCB announce replacement for Lungisani Ngidi "This is not an individual sport": Moody defends Rahul's intent Responding to criticisms about Delhi’s slow middle phase, Tom Moody explained that Rahul wasn’t to blame for the lull in scoring. Instead, he pointed to poor communication and a lack of intent from the other end. "He makes me aware when I make mistakes": Sai Sudharsan on Gill after record stand “This is not an individual sport. This is a team sport… that type of conversations,” Moody said, referring to in-game awareness and strategic discussions between batters. He also noted that Rahul only faced six balls across a four-over stretch in the middle, which disrupted his rhythm. Despite Rahul’s unbeaten century, DC were outclassed as Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill chased down 200 without loss. Abishek Porel (30 off 19), Axar Patel (25 off 16), and Tristan Stubbs (21* off 10) contributed for DC, but not at the pace Delhi needed to post a match-winning score. After this loss, DC are in the fifth spot with six wins from twelve matches. The team must win their next two matches and depend on other results to qualify for the playoffs.