What’s the story
India’s elegant opener KL Rahul has credited AB de Villiers for the change in his approach towards his game. “Spending time with AB de Villiers, travelling and practising with him helped my wicketkeeping and batting. He also helped me on how to approach the game,” said the 24-year-old Rahul in an exclusive interview with the Mumbai Mirror.
The Karnataka batsman said that he always had the belief in himself to make it big at the international level. The Indian opener admitted that talking to players who had scored hundreds in all three formats on a consistent basis helped him a lot. KL Rahul played alongside AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL.
In case you didn’t know
Rahul had a stellar 2016 as the Karnataka batsman sealed his spot as the first-choice opener for Team India from being on the sidelines at the start of the year. The 24-year-old opener had completed the set of international centuries in all three formats in the 15th match of his international career across all formats.
Moreover, he was an important member of the RCB squad who made it to the finals of IPL 2016.
The heart of the matter
Rahul in his brief stint at the international level has displayed a great temperament towards the game. The Indian opener believes that his IPL experience with the RCB has given him a lot of confidence and self-belief.
The opener amassed 397 runs at an incredible strike rate of 147 in the 2016 edition of IPL.
What next?
KL Rahul’s next assignment is the ODI series against England beginning January 15. He will share Indian dressing room with his RCB teammate and new India limited-overs captain Virat Kohli.
The 24-year-old is still in his early days at the highest level. With Champions Trophy coming up later this year and numerous players vying for the coveted opening slot, the Karnataka batsman will like to seal the spot for himself with some noteworthy performances.
The stylish player will also have to work more on his fitness and be match-fit. He has often been troubled by injuries which have kept him out of the team.
Sportskeeda’s take
AB de Villiers has been an inspiration for many youngsters. The South African star’s genius strokeplay gives us an insight into his remarkable cricketing abilities. Having batsmen like him to guide through match situations would have surely had a positive impact on the Indian opener.
IPL 2016 has been a turning point for the Indian opener’s career. Rahul has looked like a more than capable and promising prospect for the future. This also emphasises the importance of having a world-class tournament like IPL.
IPL surely is one of the breeding grounds for the development of young cricketing talents by giving them an opportunity to learn from star players.
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