Not easy being in and out of team: KL Rahul
MUMBAI: He may no longer be an option in Tests but KL Rahul seems to have presented a 'happy headache' to the national selectors and the Indian team management with his fantastic consistency in T20 Internationals.
It's not easy when you're picked in the XI as a 'replacement' player, but the Karnataka batsman has embedded himself as an important cog in India's T20 batting wheel.
On Wednesday night at the Wankhede, the 27-year-old smashed 91 off 56 balls, adding 135 for the first wicket with Rohit Sharma to play a key role in India's 67-run win in the third and decisive T20 International against the West Indies. It capped off a run which has seen him slam three half-centuries in the past four T20 Internationals, with two of them coming in crunch games.
Included in the XI only because Shikhar Dhawan was out due to an injury, the 27-year-old has grabbed his opportunity with both hands. His fine performances have left triggered a debate whether Dhawan, who's been less prolific in T20Is, deserves an automatic spot in T20Is ahead of him.
Surely, it must be a tough scenario for Rahul, being in and out of the XI, and yet expected to perform whenever he plays. "I won't say I won't feel it (pressure) at all. Obviously, going in and out of the team is never easy on any player. You take a little bit of time to get used to the international pressure and oppositions and there are no opposition where you can just walk in and score runs, so it's always difficult. This game is all about confidence, being in good rhythm and in good touch. Having said that, I can't really sit outside and not prepare. All I can do is sit outside and prepare and try to create match feel for myself," he said.
It is the age-old formula of scoring runs for your state steam that works for Rahul too. He came into this series on the back of a good run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 313 runs in eight games@52.16, with three half-centuries. Instability about your position in the team can take its toll on the mind but Rahul prefers to keep things "simple".
"My thoughts are very simple. I prepare as hard as I can, put in the hours in the nets. When I get first-class cricket, I try to improve my skill, get some time in the middle. Again, when I get opportunity like this here, I try to do the same thing, and its actually as easy as that. I know people feel it is easier said than done, it is as easy you make it. Life is what you put in your head," he philosophized.
A slight technical correction in his game, specifically his backlift, which he felt wasn't proper earlier, has helped him find runs on a continuous basis.
"I don't think I have worked too much, it's not been a conscious effort but I have seen my batting. Every batsman goes through change in his batting, and I felt that my backlift was coming from not exactly where I wanted to come from. Again in the time off (from) playing cricket, I worked on it, it is coming out well and when you score runs everything seems good right? I did not change my backlift, but I just realized where it was coming from and where I need to bring it on, and I added that," he revealed.
Will knocks like the one he churned out on Wednesday night help him feel more secure about his place in the side? Rahul isn't too sure. "Again, you can only hope. For me, what's in my control is to keep putting up these performances whenever I get the opportunity. I am not at that stage where I worry about whether I'll find myself playing the next tournament or anything (like that). Whenever I get the opportunity, I want to win games for my team and enjoy my batting," he said.
sorry, bro. iss sai na ho paye gah.
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