Indian wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul expressed his joy for the compliments he received from legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar for his impressive century against South Africa in the 1st test at Centurion. Rahul’s outstanding knock helped India post a competitive total in the game.
In the lower order, Rahul batted effectively, handling South Africa’s pace attack with ease on the seam-friendly conditions. He batted with the tail on a tricky surface that was gradually slowing down, adding 56 runs with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna for the last two wickets.
Earning accolades from the legendary Sunil Gavaskar remains every cricketer’s ultimate objective, and KL Rahul achieved it on Wednesday. During the post-game press conference, KL Rahul was asked about his reaction to Sunil Gavaskar’s once-in-a-lifetime compliment.
“Firstly, I’m very humbled he’s made that comment. It’s a pretty huge compliment to get. Batting in the middle order, what I’ve realised is that you can’t really plan your innings all that much when you walk in. There is a situation in front of you. The game tells you how you need to play and what you need to do in that time and in that moment,” KL Rahul said.
The Men in Blue were struggling at 92 for 4, Rahul went in at No. 6 and had to repair the damage by the top-order batter. His vital 101-run knock in the first innings at Centurion’s proved to be crucial for the Indian team and guided India to reach a competitive score of 245 on a field that gave seam and extra bounce for the pacers.
I Worked On Myself And Tried To Go Back To The Person That I Am – KL Rahul
On a Star Sports special, KL Rahul discusses a difficult period in his career and how he was targeted by people for his batting failures. Rahul stressed his mental toughness and what it takes to distance oneself from the hatred that dominates the internet in his response.
“When the injury happened and I was away from the game for a long time, I worked on myself and tried to go back to the person that I am. I realized that I can’t get affected by these things and change myself; rather I shouldn’t change myself. It’s difficult to remain yourself, remain true to your personality when there’s so much happening; it’s the hardest thing”.
“But like anything else in cricket and life, there are ways to work on it, there are people who can help you if your mind is open. So when I was out of the game, I worked on myself and worked on remaining calmer and taking care of what’s happening inside my head,” KL Rahul added.
After sustaining a thigh injury during the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rahul had to take a break for a long time. When he returned, he discovered that he was better suited to batting at No. 5 for India in One-Day International. After performing well in the Asia Cup and World Cup, Rahul’s management decided to apply the same approach in Tests and has delivered for the side.