New Delhi. KL Rahul can open in the first test match against Australia. However, Rahul is facing a tough challenge from Abhimanyu Easwaran. Rahul has revealed that he/she worked ‘very hard’ early in his/her career to prove his/her ability to hit big shots. But his/her perspective changed after seeing legends Rahul Dravid and Kane Williamson becoming successful in white-ball formats despite sticking to their natural game. And helped him/her develop as a player. Rahul admitted that in his/her younger days he/she often tried to be something he/she was not.
KL Rahul said in an interview to ‘Star Sports’, ‘I feel that I have developed as a person and a player. As a young player I tried too hard to be someone I wasn’t. Tried to hit big sixes so that I could prove that I can do it. This was not natural. The turning point for me was watching Rahul Dravid in one of the IPL seasons around 2011 or 2012. he/she stuck to his/her technique and was one of the best batsmen. Seeing him/her performing well in ODI and T20 cricket without changing his/her game, something changed in me.
KL Rahul has played 53 tests
The 32-year-old Rahul, who played 53 Tests, 77 ODIs and 72 T20 Internationals for India, spent time in the dressing room with Williamson, one of the best batsmen in modern cricket, during his/her time with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Seeing both Williamson and Dravid, Rahul realized that he/she can be successful in T20 cricket even by sticking to his/her natural game. he/she said, ‘I also spent time with Kane Williamson in Sunrisers. he/she did not get many opportunities but then he/she went back and played brilliant innings in white ball cricket for New Zealand.
‘Playing with these players increased my confidence’
KL Rahul said, ‘Seeing Dravid and Williamson, I realized that I do not need to try so hard. I have some qualities which I can use to achieve success in T20 cricket. Rahul started his/her IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2013. he/she spent two seasons at Sunrisers before returning to the Bengaluru franchise in 2016. he/she played with players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in RCB, which boosted his/her confidence.
‘I got guidance from Virat and AB in IPL’
According to KL Rahul, ‘Once I adopted that mentality, things fell into place for me. In the 2016 IPL, I got the guidance of Virat and AB who are the best T20 players. Just talking to him/her about my game during training made a difference. Once the performance was good, confidence started increasing. Rahul scored a half-century in 14 balls for Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in the 2018 IPL season, which cost him/her Rs 11 crore.
tag: KL Rahul
first published : November 13, 2024, 7:21 pm IST
