By: BCCI
KL Rahul had baptism by fire in Test cricket last year when he made his debut at the historic MCG in front of a daunting Aussie crowd with India fighting their way back in the series. But he went past it and emerged stronger. Now, five Tests old, Rahul already has two centuries to show for his promise.
In what will be a string of many firsts in the young man’s career, he is now gearing up for his first Test series at home. He is on the threshold of representing India on the very cricket grounds his dream of playing for his country was born and nurtured.
In the preparation for the Test series, KL Rahul scored a patient 72 for the Board President’s XI against the South African attack in the warm-up match. And then in a chat with BCCI.TV, the top-order batsman spoke of his anticipation for the series, his rapport with his India team-mates and the prospect of facing his IPL team-mate, Dale Steyn.
Your first home Test series, and against the No. 1 ranked team. Can’t get any more challenging than that, can it?
KL Rahul: It can’t. But that’s what I love. My first two series were challenging too, in Australia and Sri Lanka. This series will be challenging in a different way. It is my first home series and there is going to be a lot of excitement and fun to play against a top cricketing nation like South Africa.
You have two centuries in five Tests so far and they have come in totally different conditions against bowling attacks with varied strengths. Does that make you more confident going into your third Test series?
KL Rahul: The first century did give me a lot of confidence; I started believing in myself as a cricketer. It was very important as a young player to feel wanted in the team and that I belong to international cricket. I got one in Sri Lanka and that added to the confidence. I came back from that series and worked on my batting. This series will be interesting because we know the conditions better here. But again, playing in front of the home crowd will add to the challenge.
The common factor in both innings – SCG and P Sara – was that you had a long partnership with Virat. We saw he was constantly talking to you during the innings. What is the kind of guidance you got from him?
KL Rahul: That’s how Virat is. He likes to guide me, keep me on my toes and encourage me to express myself. He makes sure I don’t feel the pressure, keeps cracking an odd joke here and there to calm my nerves down. He keeps reminding me to believe in my abilities, be calm and wait for the loose ball. We ensure that we rotate the strike well and keep things moving. Both the times when Virat joined me at the crease, we had lost two wickets early and it was important for the team to get a partnership there and stay positive at the same time. That is the one thing Virat keeps telling me – think positive, play positive.
During the century in Sri Lanka, you batted with Virat and Rohit – two different batsmen, different personalities. How does the nature and style of your partner affect your batting?
KL Rahul: It is easier batting with guys who are playing with ease, who put the bowlers off their line and length and hit boundaries with ease. The bowlers get low in confidence and it helps me cash in on after having taken my time. Batting with Rohit is a lot of fun. I had a partnership with him in Sydney as well. I could walk up to him and tell him that I was nervous and he would calm me down, ask me to take my time and not hurry into anything. Rohit has a calming effect on me but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t talk. When I am batting with Rohit, he makes batting look incredibly easy. Then I get on strike and I am missing the ball, not middling them. And I realise, ‘Okay, I should not take any ideas from the way Rohit is batting’ because he obviously has a lot of time and class.
People like to talk about the competition within the team for the opening slots. But the reality is very different. You spoke how Shikhar helped you get over the MCG game and we saw Vijay was helping you and giving you batting tips during the Sri Lanka series even as he was out with injury. Talk about your rapport with them.
KL Rahul: From the moment I entered the dressing room, I never felt there was any competition. Both Shikhar and Vijay came separately to me and spoke about how it would be different from the Ranji Trophy and they were trying to prepare me if at all I got a chance in Australia. It was really important and relaxed me a lot. We are all young and so the atmosphere is very light and friendly. We all want each other to do well and we genuinely enjoy each other’s performances. As far as the team culture goes, this is the best you can get. That shows in the team’s performance too – we won the Test series in Sri Lanka and did well in Australia too.
It is very well documented that for the opening partners it helps if you share a strong bond off the field and are good friends. You three are an opening unit. Talk about your personal rapport with each of them.
KL Rahul: With Shikhar, we are part of the same IPL franchise, so we do spend a lot of time together for a couple of months every year. Even when I didn’t get a lot of chances at SRH, Shikhar would always talk to me, help me out with my game. That’s where the friendship started and it has been great so far. With Vijay, we play a lot of cricket together for the South Zone. He is someone who I have always enjoyed batting with – the way he leaves the ball and his composure at the crease and the way he has transformed himself as a Test cricketer in the last few years is brilliant. That is something a young cricketer can take away from Murali Vijay’s batting. Also, both of them are very friendly guys, always having fun in the dressing room.
You have had an interesting Test career so far. Five matches, two centuries and a few low scores. It shows that once you get past the early phase, you go on to make it count. But does it also show signs of early jitters?
KL Rahul: Yes, playing international cricket, I realise that I need to be a bit more consistent. A few things go wrong here and there as an opening batsman – you do get a lot of good balls at the start of the innings. So, that’s not something I am really worried about right now and putting pressure on myself for. It’s more about enjoying my batting – the couple of times I have done that, I have got big scores. That is something I can learn from going ahead.
You said you worked on your batting after coming back from Sri Lanka. Can you specify?
KL Rahul: I was practising on playing the turning ball keeping the pitches for the South Africa series in mind. I worked with the Karnataka coach, J Arun Kumar. He was a great player of fast bowling in his day, so I spent some time working with him on playing the short balls and fast bowling in general because we know the South African pacers can clock high speeds. So far it has been coming out well and I have been moving well in the crease.
There is always the talk of how the IPL has bred familiarity among players from different countries. You have shared the dressing room with someone like a Dale Steyn. How much does it really help?
KL Rahul: I thought I would find it easier to face him but I played him today (in the warm-up match between Board President’s XI and South Africans. Rahul scored 72) and it was a whole different experience. Fielding or keeping wickets when he is bowling is one thing. Batting against him with the red ball moving and doing a bit, like it did today, is a different ballgame. He gets the ball to move late and I found it a little hard today. I love playing with him, and playing against him will be a different challenge that I look forward to.
Do you try to pick his brain at the SRH camp as to how he thinks and plans?
KL Rahul: We try to, but you know how the fast bowlers’ minds work. They think and work differently, doing different things in each game. You can’t really understand what goes on in their minds. All you can do is watch the ball and react to it.
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