KL Rahul humorous message to family and friends ahead of the ODI World Cup. ” I will not respond to anyone who messages me about match tickets.” “I’m not trying to be arrogant or rude; I just want to stay away from that and concentrate on the game. ” Rahul laughed.
KL Rahul talks about his return to fitness, the ongoing Australia battle, how he wants to handle people demanding World Cup tickets from him, and his World Cup ambitions.
As told to JioCinema:
Everyone has been worried about your injury and fitness, can you settle the score right now and let everyone know about your status?
Everyone saw me play in the Asia Cup, and I played every game in the Super Fours. I batted and scored runs while keeping behind the wickets, so I believe that question has been answered for everyone who was concerned about my fitness. Hopefully, I’ll be able to continue in the same manner with the World Cup and the Australia series coming up in the next two months.
What did you add to your preparation routine to ensure you could keep and bat?
I knew when I would return to the side, I’d have to keep wickets and bat… The physical challenges are a lot more compared to when I am only batting. I knew this, so I worked very hard on my fitness. As cricketers, we know the challenges that we will have to face on the field and we try to replicate that at training and practice sessions.
You are captaining in the first two ODIs, wicket-keeping and batting. Do you like to put yourself under pressure before a big series?
The team management has shown a lot of faith in me in the last two years. They keep giving me more responsibilities which shows that they believe and trust in my abilities. It gives me a lot of confidence and I also enjoy taking the responsibility. It makes life and playing cricket a lot more fun.
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What difference do you see batting as an opener or batting at No.4 or 5?
All my life, I have batted as an opener. At the top of the order, you are creating the game yourself. Even when you are chasing, you know you need to score a particular score. You go in with zero baggage. There is no pressure of falling wickets or required run rate. But when you bat in the middle order, you have the situation in front of you and then need to act accordingly. That’s the only major difference. I have been lucky that I have got enough games in the middle order to understand and adapt. Batting at positions 4 and 5 are not too different but yes, there is a big difference between opening and batting in the middle order.
How do you handle people asking you for match tickets?
If anyone messages me for match tickets, I am not going to respond. Not trying to be arrogant or rude, just want to stay away from that and focus on the game. This is a message to all my family members and friends, if you’re thinking about messaging me for tickets, please don’t.
Where were you when MS Dhoni hit the six in the 2011 World Cup final?
I was in Bangalore with a few buddies, watching the games. When we lost two early wickets, we all felt the game was over. When we won, we ended up heading to Bangalore’s busiest district, where everyone was jumping and celebrating. It was a proud moment for all Indians, and we wish to replicate it for the people of our country.
Are Australia the best test possible before the World Cup?
I believe so, considering they are one of the favorites to win the World Cup. They have some outstanding players, some of whom we have played IPL with and can see the impact they have. They visit India frequently and are as familiar with our pitches and circumstances as we are. This series will focus on how each squad puts its strengths to the fore. So, sure, we are very enthusiastic about the series, and this is the ideal way for us to prepare for the World Cup.
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