Back in form, KL Rahul not sitting back amid challenges from highly competitive group

KL Rahul has been in and around the Indian team for so many years. But, he has not been able to establish a name for himself and finds himself on the edge, more of than not. For once, after Shikhar Dhawan knocked out of the ICC World Cup 2019, Rahul cemented his place at the top of the order on the back of a consistently good performance at the top of the order.

Although his opening position was given back to Dhawan when he returned to the team, Rahul had done enough to force the team management to think twice over dropping him from the ODI team. 

He was brilliant with the bat in the last IPL, but his approach was lamented defensive by experts. He scored runs and there were no doubts about his place in the team going forward on the tour of Australia.

He did not put the stage on fire by his performances but was contributing enough with the bat to be one of the most important players in the Indian T20 team. The scene started to unravel for Rahul as his long time away from active cricket after the T20 series in Australia to the T20 series against England started propping up in his confidence, or rather lack of it while at the crease.

He looked nervous and felt for the balls with unusual tentativeness and failed miserably in the first four games of the series. Virat Kohli decided to open the innings with Rohit Sharma and hence Rahul had to sit out.

His exclusion in the final game of the T20 series started another speculation over his place in the team for the ODIs against England. Virat Kohlipublicly acknowledged the efforts and value he has brought into the system and backed him by retaining at his number five slot.

When Rahul stepped out to bat in the first ODI, India were caught in a precarious position of not having too many runs on the board and wickets started to fall in clusters. He looked out of touch to start his innings, however, there was no lack of depth in his batting and Rahul acknowledged that the extra time that the format allowed him at the crease helped him calm down the nerves after a series of failure with the bat. 

Rahul said that he quickly realised that his role after the arrival of the debutant Krunal Pandya was very crucial for the team’s effort in building up a good total and in the end, the goal became bigger for his problems as the duo started putting England bowlers to the sword.

"The one-day format, playing at No. 5, I could take a little bit more time than I took in T20s. In T20s also, I wanted to give myself time but it wasn't going my way. Having spent a little time in the middle, having hit a couple of good shots from the middle of the bat, footwork going well, your nerves tend to calm down a little bit more,” Rahul said in the pre-match conference.

“When I walked in, Shikhar was batting well. We lost a couple of wickets. I knew when Krunal walked in, me having played a little bit more cricket than Krunal, we knew we had to stitch together a partnership. When you stop thinking about your game and there is a team responsibility ahead, you start thinking a little bit clearer. And having spent 20-25 balls in the middle, I started to feel a little bit more confident.”

Apart from taking some more time in the middle, Rahul said that he did not do anything different in terms of his overall approach in batting compared to the T20 series. However, he showed signs of maturity and conceded that although his preparations and eagerness were not any less, he had to accept that sometimes it does not go as per one’s plan and he has accepted the failure as a part of the process.

"I didn't do anything different. I wasn't too stressed. Obviously, as a player, you are disappointed sitting on the bench. The last time I played was three-three-and-a-half months ago. So I was really excited and looking forward to doing well in the T20 series as well. Every cricketer, every player in the team wants to do that. Sometimes it doesn't happen, and you accept it,” Rahul added.

Rahul said that he tried to look back on his preparation and intensity of training after every failure to find out if he was committing any mistake or any part of his routine was not up to the mark. After finding out that all of his methods and approaches were the same as before when he was getting success at the top of the order, Rahul said that it did not work out at the point in time. However, he said that at the core of the disappointment was that his lack of performances was letting the team and country down.

“For me, the most important thing was when I sat back and tried to look back and things, I asked myself if I had prepared well and if I was training hard and if there was anything I didn't do in terms of preparation. When I thought about it, I had done everything right. After that, if I don't score runs, I can accept that. Having said that, it doesn't mean you don't feel disappointed. You do feel disappointed because you are representing your country. And you are playing at this level. You want to keep performing and keep winning games for your team,” Rahul added.

KL Rahul has been one of the most eye-catching players from the Indian side over the years, but he recognises the level of competition in the team as newer talents are emerging with every game and series. 

"When you are part of this Indian team you always know the competition is going to be high. You can never sit back and be comfortable and feel like you own your position. You'll always be challenged. That's the good thing about… that's how our country is. There is such a lot of talent, and there will be players coming and knocking on the door all the time. As a player in the team, you always try to push yourself and keep training harder and keep working on your game and try to get better and better every time. And whenever the opportunity comes, you try to grab it with both hands. Try to keep doing that every series,” Rahul concluded.

The second game of the series will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune where Rahul will be partnered in the middle order by one of Rishabh Pant or Suryakumar Yadav after Shreyas Iyer got ruled out of the series due to a shoulder injury.