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"Bring The Best...": Abhishek Nayar Reveals Rohit’s Game-Changing Advice For KL Rahul

Rajgeeta Yadav

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X.com]Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X.com]

In the world of cricket, players often go through ups and downs. One such cricketer who recently made a strong comeback is India's ace batter KL Rahul. Former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar recently revealed that it was Rohit Sharma who played a big role in reviving Rahul’s career.

How Rohit Sharma Helped KL Rahul In Cricket

Nayar shared in an interview that when he joined the Indian coaching staff, Rohit had a clear goal in mind: he wanted Rahul to play more freely and aggressively. 

Rohit believed that KL Rahul had the potential to play a major role in big tournaments like the Champions Trophy, World Cup, and important Test series like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the Tests in England.

"When I first picked up that role, I remember I had a conversation with Rohit, and he said that one of the things he was really keen on me doing was working with KL and bringing out a more aggressive outlook to how KL played the game, and bringing the best out of him. Because he believed strongly that KL would play a major role in the Champions Trophy, World Cup and everything going forward including the BGT [Border-Gavaskar Trophy] and the Tests in England," Nayar told ESPNcricinfo.

Before India’s tour of Australia, Nayar and Rahul worked closely for a month. They had long conversations to build trust, and then started working on both the mental and technical aspects of Rahul’s game.

It paid off right away. In the first Test match at Perth, with Rohit not playing, KL Rahul opened the innings and scored 26 in the first innings and a crucial 77 in the second, helping India to a famous win.

Nayar smiled as he recalled, “A coach has to be lucky," Nayar said. “How lucky that in his first game in Australia he got runs in the second innings and in the first also he got a start. That gave him a bit of believability. There are times when the glue just sticks. That was the moment the glue stuck. He really enjoyed that knock. He told me, listen, I feel like I am just watching and playing. It’s music to me now, playing the sport."

Even though Rahul didn’t score a century in Australia, his consistent performance helped him regain confidence and his place in the team. Nayar shared a light-hearted moment too, where someone joked with Rahul saying, 

"I remember we met someone, and he jokingly said, coach, you need to teach me how to score hundreds," Nayar said. "And we were laughing in banter. I was like, dude, sometimes hundreds are just luck.

Notably, KL Rahul’s form continued to shine, in the ongoing India tour England. In the Test match at Headingley, he scored 42 in the first innings and followed it up with a brilliant 137. Though India lost the match, Rahul’s performance stood out.