KL Rahul opens up about Ravichandran Ashwin's captaincy in IPL

What's the story?

KL Rahul, who is coming off a fantastic IPL season individually, opened up about how it was to play under Ravichandran Ashwin, who was the captain of the side.

"Ashwin was very calm - he spent a lot of time with the bowlers. He understands what the bowlers are thinking about. It's the same with the batsmen as well. He understands what bowlers go through after a bad day. He was very relaxed as a captain, very well balanced," Rahul said to India Today.

In case you didn't know...

Personally, Rahul had his best ever season in the IPL as he notched up 659 runs with six half-centuries to his name, including the fastest ever half-century in IPL history.

Unfortunately, the Kings XI Punjab failed to qualify for the playoffs despite getting off to a great start. They ended up seventh on the points table.

The details

Rahul formed a formidable partnership along with Chris Gayle at the top of the order as the duo took the attack to the opposition bowlers and gave KXIP the perfect start on a number of occasions.

Rahul opened up about his partnership with Gayle, with whom he has played before for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"Chris Gayle an entertainer on and off the field. If he fires, no team can stop him. We are assured of a win. It was great to see him play the way he did this year. He was hungry. Our relationship from the past carried on over to the ground. Our role was to be as destructive as possible in the Powerplay," said Rahul.

What's next?

Rahul was included in the Test squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan which takes place in Bengaluru from June 14-18. He is also a part of the squad which will be travelling to England later this month.