KL Rahul credits Rahul Dravid: The Indian opening batsman was wax lyrical about the former India captain after comeback to national team.
The biggest positive that came out from India getting whitewashed in the two-match T20I series against Australia was the form of opening batsman Lokesh Rahul. Having scored 97 runs at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 156.45, Rahul ended the series as India’s highest run-scorer.
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Given his recent struggles on and off the field, Rahul scoring runs in both the match is most likely to come as a respite for the Indian team management and the selectors. It might be too early to say but Rahul might have pressed his case for a spot in the Indian squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Speaking to the reporters during the post-match press conference, Rahul mentioned that his suspension period made him humble. “It has humbled me a little bit. I obviously respect the opportunity I have got to play for the country.
“It is the dream of every kid and I am no different. Just [want] to value where I am and keep making the opportunities count, put my head down and keep working on my cricket,” he was quoted as saying.
“It has been a hard time”
Rahul didn’t hesitate to admit that he was going through ‘hard time’ recently. The right-hand batsman said that the suspension period gave him time to reflect on himself and his game.
“It has been a hard time, no doubt. As a player, as a person, everyone has to go through difficult times and it was my time to go through that. It gave me the time to reflect on my game, on myself. I have always been somebody who takes things as it comes and I am just happy to be back here now,” Rahul said.
During his ouster from the Indian team, Rahul played for India A in three List A and two First-class matches against England Lions. While he registered scores of 13, 42 and 0 in the limited-overs matches, he scored 89 and 81 in the First-class matches.
“Rahul Dravid helped me a lot”
Being asked about if he made any technical change in his technique during this time, Rahul denied doing anything of that sort. However, he was wax lyrical about spending time with former India captain and current India A coach Rahul Dravid.
“Nothing really [has changed]. Got some time off from international cricket, so I could come back here and reflect on what wasn’t going right for me. Fortunately, I got to play some India A games and some games where the pressure was a little less, so that I can focus on my skill and my technique.
“I spent a lot of time with Rahul Dravid, working on my game and chatting about cricket. He helped me a lot in the games I played for India A,” he added.
The 26-year old cricketer was happy to be back among the boys in blue and score runs. Having said that, he was quick to mention that he could have scored big in both the matches.
“It’s nice to be back with the boys and be back in blue. Just happy that I have tasted a bit of success in the last two games and my batting has come out pretty well. But the other side is that I could have carried on in both innings, got a big score and won the game for my team. I’ll take the two knocks but there is a lot that I have learnt from the two knocks and I want to improve,” Rahul concluded.
