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Rahul staying in present, not bothered about batting position vs Australia

Mayank Kumar


KL Rahul has been in a top-notch form of late in the Indian Premier League and international cricketer before the coronavirus pandemic stuck the world and his name is back in the reckoning in the upcoming series against Australia, more so due to the absence of Rohit Sharma who missed out due to hamstring injury. KL Rahul was an opener before Virat Kohli-led team management decided to not waste his rich vein of form and tried to make the best use of attacking game down the order. He was assigned the task of finishing the innings on the tour of New Zealand and needless to say, he aced the spot and sealed the opportunity he had earned for himself. 

Now, as Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the limited-overs series, there are talks about Rahul making a comeback at the top of the order with Shikhar Dhawan but Rahul is not at all perturbed at these discussions and rather have left it for the team management to decide what works best for the team.

"My batting position will depend on the format I am playing and what the team wants from me and what combination sits better. The last ODI series we played, I batted at number five and I kept the wickets so yeah, it is a role that I enjoyed and I am happy to play whatever role the team gives me," Rahul said while addressing a virtual press conference. 

He rued lack of consistent opportunities in the ODI format although he has been in the squad for a long time now. He expressed satisfaction at coming good for his team and contributing good enough for India. "Look I haven't played a lot of 50-over cricket for a continued period of time, though I have been a part of the Indian team for a few years now, I have not gotten a continued run in the 50-over format like this, it feels good that I am contributing for the team," he added.

 

KL Rahul international career has been marred with inconsistent performances surrounded by few eye-catching knocks that leave fans and experts bemused at his failures but now, Rahul asserts that he is learning the art of staying in present and go through a process that is required to get the job done at a particular period of time than focusing a larger goal altogether and the recently-concluded edition of the IPL has helped him achieve the goal of living through a process.

"Look, I learnt to stay in the moment in the IPL, when I am wicket-keeping for those last 3-4 seconds when the bowler is running in, I learnt to switch on and not focus on the leadership part. It will be important for me going forward, it is important to start well in the white-ball leg, Australia is a country where we have enjoyed competing," added the elegant right-hander.

KL Rahul has mixed memories in Australia where he scored his debut Test hundred back in the 2013-14 series but has also struggled for runs in the last series where his vulnerabilities outside the off-stump were completely exposed by the Australian pace attack. He would look forward to all the history behind him and put on display of his class and consistency to seal a spot for himself across formats. 

 

 

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