By: BCCI
Focused, calm and resolute. A top-order batsman with a correct technique, strong temperament and solid work ethic. That is how likes of Tom Moody and Duncan Fletcher described KL Rahul on India’s Test tour to Australia last year. And these are not easy men to impress.
Moody has worked closely with Rahul during the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Fletcher got the first glimpse of the 23-year-old in Australia and he, at once, liked what he saw. The world saw it too when Rahul notched up 110 at the SCG in only his second Test, against Mitchell Johnson and co.
Rahul returned from Australia as a christened Test batsman and a much wiser cricketer. In the subsequent Ranji Trophy he piled up runs by the hundreds, also scoring his maiden first-class triple century. With 838 runs in only five matches, he helped Karnataka defend the title.
Then came injuries and illness and Rahul missed out on the one-off Test in Bangladesh. Now, he is back. In full fitness and form. So he proved with a patient 96 for India A in the first Test against Australia A, in Chennai. That, he says, is just the outing he needed before embarking on his second Test tour, to Sri Lanka.
The icing on the cake was that KL Rahul had his idol, Rahul Dravid, by his side as India A’s coach for this all-important game. And the young man made the most of the opportunity to pick the legend’s brains.
In a chat with BCCI.TV, Rahul talked about his preparation for the three-Test match series in Sri Lanka and the conversations he has had with Dravid in the India A camp.
You didn’t play any first-class match after the Ranji final. How important was this A Test ahead of the SL tour in regards with getting your batting rhythm back?
KL Rahul: That rhythm, the flow and the feel of playing days’ cricket again – these are the most important things. It had been a long time since I played a first-class game. For a player the first match of the season is the most important. The body is not used to being on the field for four days for long hours. So, this match helped me a lot in that regards. Although I was training a lot at the NCA, nothing beats match practice. I can practice all I want in the nets but there’s nothing like batting under match pressure against a quality opposition. They will set different traps for you and you are challenged every ball of every over. I felt very good being in the middle. I was very happy with the end result individually because I felt like I was in the right mind space. My feet were moving well and the few things that I had worked on with regards to my batting technique all fell into place.
The wicket at the Chepauk was pretty slow and low and you can expect similar conditions in Sri Lanka. How much does it help to have scored some runs in similar conditions before going into a Test series?
KL Rahul: It makes your life a little easier because you have answers to those conditions. If you just turn up to play a Test match on any kind of wicket, you will take time to adjust and figure out what kind of shots you should play and where to score your runs. Having played in Chennai and scored runs, I feel very comfortable going into the Tests in Sri Lanka because I know exactly how I will score my runs there, what time of which session will bring me more runs and when I will have to be patient. Those little things are big factors when batting in a Test and I am much more prepared to handle them.
You said that during this time away you have worked on certain aspects of your batting. Can you specify what they were?
KL Rahul: I prepared keeping in mind the Sri Lanka series. I know they have good spinners. Rangana Herath is a very experienced bowler and there are a few new guys I watched in the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test series. I watched that series to see what their bowlers can do and get an overall idea about them. They also have a pretty good medium pace attack. So, I focused on playing the ball late because we might get a little slower wickets there. As an opening batsman, it is very important to play the ball late in any conditions because the new-ball bowlers will swing the ball and later on against the spinners you have to let the ball come on the bat. That was one big thing I worked on. I also worked on my shot selection a little more. That was a big learning from the Australia tour. I may have all the shots in the book but I have to discipline myself and know when to play which shot. These were the things I focused on in the nets.
When Rahul Dravid joined the A team in Chennai as the coach, he asked each player what it was that they were trying to achieve out of it and how they wanted him to help them. Did you work with him on anything specific?
KL Rahul: I was trying to get into his mind as much as I could and get a few answers on how he handled different situations. He has played 20 years of cricket and has gone through everything there is to experience. I asked him a lot about playing in conditions like Chennai where the wicket is slow, it’s hot and humid, the outfield is heavy and against bowlers who are very disciplined and would not give anything away. He spoke a lot about the virtue of patience. He told me that in these conditions you cannot expect to score at 3-4 runs per over. You have to bide your time and wait for the loose ball. Runs might dry up for a certain period and you have to negotiate that phase. If you do, you might get some good overs with a couple of boundaries. Also, in these conditions it is very important for the set batsman to hold fort. We saw in the last game that when we lost a wicket, it was difficult for the new batsman out there. It seemed like the ball was turning much more. Even for the bowlers, you have to be patient because the game will progress very slowly.
You have said how keen you are to change the perception of being a long-form specialist. That is something that Dravid had to fight throughout his career and ended up with 10,000 ODI runs. Have you sought his help for this?
KL Rahul: Like you said, there is no better role model for me than Rahul Dravid. People say we have similar games and he has been successful in all three formats. That’s what gives me confidence. I am very confident that I will do well in all the three formats because I have the game. It doesn’t bother me too much that people tag me as a long-format specialist. It is just a matter of putting in some good performances in the shorter formats and I know that people’s perception will change.
I have been working hard on my short form game. I set myself targets during the off-season in terms of working on different skill sets required for each format. In Tests you have to be more patient whereas in one-dayers you have to take more initiative and make the bowler bowl to you.
You have to be sharper. I have been working on what best I could do to be successful with the game that I have. That’s what Rahul bhai did all his career – he understood his game very well and he figured out how he can succeed in all formats while staying within the parameters of his own game and style. I have to work out the same thing. I will talk to people and as I play more matches I know I will get there.
