After a strong showing in his inaugural ODI series, Indian opener KL Rahul has expressed confidence in establishing himself in all formats of the game. Speaking to bcci.tv, the 24-year old believed that he had given a fitting reply to coaches and players who questioned his limited-overs credentials.
Rahul asserted, “To all those guys who have been branded as Test players before, I want to tell that there will be coaches and players in the dressing room who can tell you that you are not good enough for a certain format. I never thought that they were right. I knew I was blessed with certain skills.”
He became the first Indian batsman to score a century on ODI debut during the opening match of the 3-match series against Zimbabwe in Harare. Named ‘Man of the Series’ for his exploits, the stylish right-hander grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
On the suggestions that he would give for upcoming cricketers, Rahul opined, “My advice will be to not listen to people. Of course, you have to listen to your coaches and elders. But, you don’t have to listen to what they say all the time. You know what’s best for your game. Go out there, be yourself and express yourself. And when someone says you can’t do something, prove them wrong.“
He added, “I had worked really hard on my game. I worked on my strength and became strong enough so that every time I hit the ball, it went to the boundary. Rotating the strike becomes very important, so you need to be quick and you need to be fit for that.”
Also Read: Can KL Rahul be the new 'Mr. Dependable' for Team India?
The rising Karnataka star revealed that he had learnt a lot from playing under the experienced MS Dhoni. Rahul affirmed, “Normally I don’t speak to him (Dhoni) too much. But if I don’t understand and ask him, he would explain as to what was his thought process behind moving a fielder or giving someone the ball.”
Also a back-up wicket-keeper, he enthused, "I was watching as to how he is keeping wickets in these conditions where especially when the ball swings, it starts wobbling as it comes behind the stumps. Also, he stands at different positions for different bowlers. Like Dhawal (Kulkarni) is a wicket-to-wicket bowler with a nice action while Barinder is a left-armer. Bumrah can be very hard to keep. He always tells me to stick to the basics.”
Rahul would hope that he continues his stellar form in the upcoming T20I series against the hosts which is scheduled to begin on Saturday.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
