India batsman KL Rahul recalls the hard time he went through after being suspended along with teammate Hardik Pandya for their controversial interview on a TV show in January
Hardik Pandya, Karan Johar and KL Rahul during the TV show that caused a furore
Ayone who gets to represent the Indian team in a sports arena is basically living a dream. And when it's the Indian cricket team that you have fought your way into, you need to keep pinching yourself to ensure that it's not just a dream. When the pinch is delivered from outside like it was for KL Rahul, then the dream could soon turn into a never-ending nightmare. Rahul, 26, seems to have endured the tough times well.
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Sent back home from Australia
In January, Rahul and teammate Hardik Pandya were sent home from the Australia tour due to their sexist comments on a TV show. "It has humbled me a little," admitted Rahul of the incident and the suspension from international cricket that followed. "I obviously respect the opportunity I have got to play for the country. It is the dream of every kid and I am no different. I just want to value where I am and keep making the opportunities count, put my head down and keep working on my cricket," said the Karnataka lad.
KL Rahul during his 26-ball 47 in the second T20I against Australia in Bangalore on Wednesday. Pic/AFP
Summing up the last couple of months, Rahul, who had before that gone through a torrid time with the bat too, said: "It has been a hard time, no doubt. As a player, as a person everyone has to go through difficult times and it was my time to go through that. As I said it gave me time to reflect on my game, on myself." Having done that for a while it was time to let the bat take over. The opportunity to turn out for the India 'A' side came in handy for the talented batsman.
Dravid to the rescue
"I could come back here [to the domestic scene] and reflect on what wasn't going right for me. Fortunately, I got to play some India 'A' games where the pressure is a little less. That helped me focus on my skills and my technique. I spent a lot of time with Rahul Dravid, working on my game and chatting about cricket. He helped me a lot in the games I played for India 'A'," said a grateful Rahul of Dravid. Whether he deserved to be punished for the off-field but on-air misadventure is a bigger debate but for now he's back on the field, somewhat a changed persona as far as the self is concerned but none the worse as a batsman, as his two enterprising knocks in the just concluded two-match T20I series showed.
97
No. of runs KL Rahul has scored in the just-concluded two-match T20I series v Oz
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