KL Rahul reveals how Rahul Dravid helped him get out of rough patch
KL Rahul, on Tuesday, all but cemented his place as the number four batsman in the Indian playing XI following a splendid century against Bangladesh in a warm-up match at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Rahul smashed 12 boundaries and four sixes en route to his brilliant 108-run knock off 99 deliveries against the Bangla Tigers. Rahul, after his ton, said that he was into self-introspection mode during his time away from the game and it helped him bounce back from poor form. The elegant batter then explained how India-A coach Rahul Dravid helped him on the mental aspect of the game while helping him deal with low confidence and poor form.
Rahul found himself in a huge controversy following the ‘derogatory’ remarks made by him and Hardik Pandya on a TV show. Both Rahul and Hardik were provisionally suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The duo was called back from Australia mid-tour and missed out on a few matches during that period. Rahul has now said although the situation was not ideal for him, it was important to spend time with friends and family as he was on the road for a long time.
“The time off from game does give a player opportunity to reflect on himself and it wasn’t any different for me,” Rahul told reporters referring to the tough time while adding, “I spend some time with friends and family. It was important as I have been on the road for a long time. Given the situation, that’s not how I would have liked to get some time off but anyway I tried to make the best use of it.”
Rahul made a strong comeback during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 wherein he amassed a staggering 593 runs in 14 matches at an average of 53.90 for his side Kings XI Punjab. His incredible form helped him get into India’s playing XI in the warm-up matches wherein he cemented his spot with a strong outing in the match against Bangladesh.
“What’s gone is gone and the focus is always on cricket. I am really happy with how I have managed to bounce back. IPL gave me a lot of confidence and really happy that I could carry that confidence here today (Tuesday),” Rahul said.
The 27-year-old then admitted that his batting technique needed a tweak and he worked on it with his coach in Bengaluru and India A was a perfect platform to get used to the changes. Rahul then revealed how former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid had helped him get out of the cold phase while stating he is very hungry to score plenty with his bat.
“There were a few things about my batting and my technique that I needed to fix. I worked with my coach back home in Bengaluru and India A games gave me a bit of opportunity. Like speaking to Rahul Dravid about mental preparation and how to handle low confidence and poor form. The best way to get back to scoring runs is to find that form in the middle and I got that opportunity. From there, it just carried on. I was very hungry to come back and score runs for whatever team I played,” Rahul said.
Rahul will most likely to the No. 4 spot as India will play their 2019 World Cup opener against South Africa on June 5 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
