'Always Open To Doing New Roles..', KL Rahul On His Batting Position On SA Tour
KL Rahul in action [AP]
Indian wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul produced an awe-inspiring comeback during the ODI World Cup after a long injury layoff. He contributed significantly with the bat while sharply keeping the wickets for his side as well.
Having said that, the World Cup saw KL Rahul shifting from his traditional slot in the batting order. While the wicketkeeper has opened the innings all his life, the complexity of team combination pushed him down the order.
While the transition hardly affected KL's form with the bat, fans speculated an extended stint in the middle order for Rahul owing to the complex nature of the national squad.
'Open To Bat At Any Given Position'- KL Rahul
Meanwhile, in the latest press conference ahead of the ODI leg of the South Africa Tour, KL Rahul faced the reporters as the captain of the Indian side. During the presser, the batter was quizzed about his plans to embrace the middle-order slot across all formats of the game.
Rahul said that he is only focused on the upcoming ODI series against the Proteas, wherein he will bat at number 5, keep wickets, and lead the Indian side.
He further expressed his desire to potentially bat in the middle order in the test format as well. To those unversed, after Subhuman Gill's entry, Rahul lost his opening slot and has been away from red-ball cricket for a while now. But now, after Rishabh Pant's absence, the middle-order slot is up for grabs for KL Rahul.
Earlier, rumours also claimed that Rahul allegedly asked LSG management to allow him to bat in the middle order during the forthcoming IPL season.
Nonetheless, the LSG captain reiterated that he is flexible enough to embrace different roles as per the team's needs. As long as he gets to be in the team and given a chance to perform, the wicketkeeper batter is open to making necessary adjustments.
"Currently, I am thinking about the ODI series, where I will be doing the same role. I will be keeping the wickets and bat in the middle order. After that, I would be happy to take up that role even in the Test matches. I have been always open to doing new roles and accepting whatever the team wants me to perform," Rahul said in the press conference.
The three-game ODI series against South Africa will go on the floor starting tomorrow. The Indian squad has been updated, and KL Rahul will lead the charge for the 50-over format series of the extensive South Africa tour.
 "Akshita Patel")
