India has been good chasers, but they often don’t set big goals. Rahul was likely to be questioned about the failure of India to regularly post high scores. And he answered it in his last days.
As KL Rahul got his first ODI century home-his silent celebration came with a resounding message in the second game against West Indies in Visakhapatnam.
When he lowered his helmet and bat and stood in a posture of “cut the noise” with his eyes closed, it was not difficult to understand what Rahul wanted to convey. The meme-makers enjoyed a day on the track, but what many missed was the reaction of Virat Kohli when the opener had just crossed its half-century.
Rahul has already acknowledged that there was a lot of pressure when batting first and that the team had failed in the past. He was often candid about his feelings, whether it was a debate over a tv chat-show, his patchy record in Test cricket, or his mental space.
Rahul Expresses His Feelings
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that KL Rahul admitted being seriously affected. “You’ll have friends sending those images or telling you what people are talking about,” he said.
“It’s simple; if you don’t hear or see these things then it doesn’t get to you. But obviously, it does get to you some way or the other. I mostly try to laugh it off. That’s what I try to do.” he added
Rahul had a mixed 2019 but had plenty of momentum to finish the year. Runs were hard to get through in Test cricket, but they poured against the white ball, where he scored over 47; and about 45 in T20Is.
He saw his spot in the Test side go to Rohit Sharma, but he also did his bit to drive the injury-hit Shikhar Dhawan in limited-overs cricket forward, at least in conversation.
Dhawan’s consistently excellent efforts were among the factors plotting against Rahul and Rohit was indispensable. For example, take 2018, where Dhawan was the highest run-getter in the year’s T20Is.
But the diminishing form and injury problems of the southpaw have seen him concede the gain in 2019. That’s when Rahul, the perpetual back-up opener, became opportunistic and came to the fore. For the first time, he can now demand to be on the side’s recent merit the first-choice opener.
For ICC competitions, Dhawan ultimately steps up shouldn’t be an argument that holds Rahul out of the first 11. Rahul must be given free rein at the top of the order as India prepares to finalize its ideal combination. It is the consistency that he wants to balance the quality that has been dished out.
