KL Rahul was finally looking to cement his place in the playing eleven after an impressive display on the West Indies tour. The Karnataka batsman was getting few chances before that tour but he made sure to grab them with both opportunities. After an impressive IPL, he was selected in the team for the Zimbabwe series and repaid the faith by emerging as the highest run-getter in the ODI series. He was rewarded for his perseverance when he was selected for the West Indies tour. However, he did not get a chance in the playing eleven in the first Test but was picked in the playing eleven in the next after Murali Vijay suffered an injury. He made the most of that opportunity and scored 158 to strengthen his case for a regular spot in the playing eleven. A fifty in the next match followed by a brilliant ton in a T20 match against the same opposition.
His impressive form saw him getting the nod ahead of Shikhar Dhawan in the first Test against New Zealand but an unfortunate injury ruled him out of the series and halted his impressive run. The opener has now been recalled to the Test team for the second match against England and is eager to prove himself again.
While admitting that the rehab process has not been easy for him, he said that he is now hungrier and disciplined towards fitness.
“It is obviously not an easy time when you are injured. You wake up every morning and do the same rehab routines repeatedly. Honestly, the rehab process is boring for someone like me who wants to go to the gym, jump around and lift weights. To just go and do basic stuff feels very boring. It has been a long break and there were 6-7 days in the last six weeks when I woke up with no motivation to train. Deepavali was around the corner and there was nothing else to look forward to,” Rahul told Times Sportal.
It is tough, but having said that, this phase has made me hungrier. It has also made me disciplined towards fitness, disciplined about myself and how I take care of myself. I’ve realised that as good as I am on the field if I’m not fit then I cannot play. I can be the best player in the world, but if I’m not fit I don’t make the team. That’s the simple rule of sport. I’ve figured fitness has to become the number one preference. No two ways about it. I can’t wait to get back on the field, get to be out there in the middle and score runs. It will feel great after a long break,” he added.
Speaking about the injury setback, he said:“It was the most frustrating thing I had to ever do in my life. But you can’t control these things. As much as you try to control it and work on yourself as a player, there are times when these things happen. You may be the best of players but you get a good ball and you could be out for a duck. All you can do is be positive, work on the problem, try to get better and come back stronger.”