‘I want to be in the XI, just fit me in’: KL Rahul to Rohit and Gambhir before India vs Australia day-night Test
KL Rahul just wants to be in the Indian XI for the day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide. He doesn't care about his batting position or role in the side.
KL Rahul knows exactly where he is going to bat for India in the day-night Test match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Friday, but he has been told by the team management not to disclose the same in public. This is nothing unusual. There has been a lot of speculation about Rahul's batting position in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy now that captain Rohit Sharma is back in the mix. Rahul, who did not even get to play the last two Tests against New Zealand at home as the middle-order's spot went to the in-form Sarfaraz Khan, fresh from scoring a 150 in the first Test, was asked to open the batting in Perth as Rohit was on paternity leave.
He did a splendid job, scoring an invaluable 77 in the second innings to stitch India's first-ever 200-plus opening stand on Australian soil with opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal. He might have done something similar in the first innings if not for a dubious decision from the third umpire that cut his innings short after doing all the hard work.
But now that Rohit is back, the opening slot is supposed to go to him. Shubman Gill has also showed good signs of recovering in time to take the No.3 spot. Does that mean, Rahul once again slides down to No.6 after displaying a close to perfect manual for opening in overseas conditions? It seems so. But the Indian think tank wants to keep everyone guessing.
"I have been told (where I would bat), but I have also been told not to share it with you," Rahul told reporters with a big smile. His body language suggested he was calm and at peace with where he is at. That's what a good start to a big series can do to your confidence.
Contrary to the conflicting reports in the lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy regarding India's opening combination, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir were quite sure about Rahul. The right-hander said he was informed even before landing in Australia that he was going to open in Perth in Rohit's absence.
"I was told quite early that I will be opening. I did not play the whole New Zealand series, didn't play the last two games. and I was told fairly early that I might get a chance to open the innings. I have enough time to prepare. It is something that I have done for a long time in my career. I just had to go back and practice a bit more. so I knew how I was going to get my runs and what processes I needed to follow. It helped me that I played a few practice games here. I opened for India A," Rahul said.
‘I just want to be in the XI’: Rahul
In his topsy-turvy career as an Indian cricketer, Rahul has done everything possible within his limits. Despite being a bona fide opener right throughout his career, Rahul adjusted to the middle-order's role like a duck to water. He even played as a specialist keeper in South Africa and scored one of the most memorable centuries by an Indian batter in SENA countries. Now, he just wants to be in the XI.
"I just want to be in the playing XI. Just fit me in. I wanna go out there and bat and play for the team. I just go there and try and see what I need to do to get runs in a particular situation. I want to keep my game as simple as I can. Luckily I have batted in different positions. Early on, when I was asked to bat at different positions, it was a bit of a challenge, mentally. How to play those first 20-25 balls? What shots can I play? How early can I attack? Those things were a bit tricky earlier, but now that I have played in different formats all over the world, it has gotten better. I know the importance of getting through those first 25-30 balls," he added.
It would be his first tryst with the pink ball, and Rahul, although has some trouble sighting the ball because of its different colour, said things should be fine with a few more practice sessions.
"This will be my first pink ball Test match. I don't have the game experience that some other players have in the team. It is just about speaking to the guys and getting to know what were the things that they found hard and how they managed to adjust and make changes. In practice, I felt that it was a little different in terms of how you watch this ball and pick it up from the bowler's hand."
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