Indian stand-in skipper KL Rahul admitted that the weather and conditions made it extremely difficult to play against Australians in the recently concluded three-match ODI series ahead of the ODI World Cup. The 31-year-old impressed everyone after making a comeback into the Indian setup through the Asia Cup 2023.
In Mohali, Indore, and Rajkot, three locations where the weather was as scorching as it gets, their most recent series against Australia, which ended on Wednesday, was played. India has played ODI cricket in subcontinental conditions, which has required contending with sweltering heat in the lead-up to the World Cup in home conditions.
When asked about playing in the heat, KL Rahul acknowledged the conditions were difficult in India throughout the Australia series and revealed an interesting incident where Indian players after picking up the wicket of Mitchell Marsh said that he made the worst decision to field in the scorching heat in Mohali and reckons that it is good to challenge them ahead of the marquee event in the country.
“I’ve come back really fresh, I’ve had a lot of juice in me so no complaints on that front,” KL Rahul said.
“It has been really challenging physically. The weather and conditions in Colombo were what we thought would be the worst we could get but then we turned up in Mohali… I said this after that game as well, I said in the huddle ‘We’ve come from Colombo, this can’t be worse.’
“It is Mohali, it must be pleasant. Three overs later, when Mitch Marsh got out everybody looked at each other and said skip, you’ve made the worst decision by opting to bat. It is a good challenge that we get used to it because we will have similar conditions to deal with in the World Cup,” KL Rahul added.
KL Rahul returned to the team for the Asia Cup and has been in incredible form ever since. In his debut game back with the Indian team against Pakistan, he struck an unbeaten century. Since then, he has scored two half-centuries in the last three games.
Happy That I Could Get A Few Good Knocks, Does A World Of Good For The Confidence – KL Rahul
KL Rahul feels that the long injury lay-off has helped him to work on himself in the game. He said that he was looking to improve his game and perform to his full potential in the role assigned to him by the team and was pleased with his performance for the team after coming back from injury.
“When you are away from the game for that long you get a lot of time to reflect on yourself, on your batting and technique. All we have done all our lives is play cricket so there is nothing else to think about, nothing keeps you busy”.
“After you finish training we are at home thinking about cricket and how we can get better the time I spent at home helped me understand how I can play my role better. You walk in after a long period with no baggage and you try to enjoy yourself and that is what I have done. Happy that I could get a few good knocks, does a world of good for the confidence,” KL Rahul concluded.
KL Rahul has brought much-needed stability to the middle order alongside Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya in the continental event.
The Karnataka batter made the most of the opportunity provided to him to announce his resounding comeback and would look to continue his fine form going into the ODI World Cup.