By: BCCI
He scored a fluent century to steady India after early jolts against Sri Lanka in the 2nd Test but the young batsman KL Rahul said that he was disappointed that his favorite pull shot didn’t come off and he could not take his side to an even better position.
Here are the excerpts from his press conference:
On the pull shot that cost him his wicket
KL Rahul: It is very disappointing that the shot you love to play the most gets you out a lot. For me it’s a good learning, a big learning. When I am playing international cricket playing different speeds and bowlers who are taller and hitting the deck harder, it’s not like first class cricket. So it’s something that I have to work on and discipline myself. It’s my favourite shot and I won’t stop playing the shot, so I will discipline myself and get to know what is the right line and length to pull. That’s what I have to work on.
On batsmen getting set and throwing it away
KL Rahul: Firstly it is my responsibility to lay a good foundation in the first session and make sure to see through the new ball and it doesn’t cost us a lot of wickets. We are all very young and looking to learn and get better in Test cricket. This is the biggest learning curve compared to the last Test match. The things that we spoke about and the things we worked on, we came out here and executed them well.
On his approach towards batting
KL Rahul: I played a couple of matches with India A before coming here and a game in Bangalore as well, so I was hitting the ball well. I spent a lot of time in the nets with the batting coach and everything felt like I was watching the ball well and moving well. It’s just unfortunate that I couldn’t really do well in the first Test match. I came here with a very clear mind where I had a very positive attitude. We lost a couple of early wickets when Virat [Kohli] came in and he told me to stay positive and have a clear mind and good intent. We batted really well but we were still cautious and it was a very confident partnership. That’s the mindset I went in with, to look positive and get runs, and I am happy it worked for me today.
On comparisons with the Sydney hundred
KL Rahul: Both [SCG and P Sara] have been very difficult hundreds and in very difficult conditions and have been challenging for me. I didn’t get runs in the first Test and to come here and play like the way I did was very satisfying for me individually. But honestly I felt I should have done a lot better and I am feeling a little disappointed. Generally after tea to the end of the day it is the time when you get more runs, when you are set. And I felt I should have been there and could have got more runs for my team. But again it is a big learning for me and I will go back and work on a few things, hopefully I will not do the mistakes again.
On the partnerships with Virat and Rohit
KL Rahul: Always enjoyed batting with Virat. Even in Sydney he was there when I reached my hundred. He brings in a lot of energy and a lot of positivity when he comes in to bat.
With Rohit, it is a lot calmer. He likes to take his time, you look at him batting and you feel like he is batting with so much ease and so much time. It was a lot of fun to bat with both of them.
All three of us are positive players, so the scoreboard kept ticking. I was having a lot of fun batting with both. Lot of inputs that they gave in the middle. They have played a lot of cricket, so they understand the game better than I do. It is good to have partners like them.
On the team dynamics with three successful openers around
KL Rahul: From the team’s point of view, it is a great place to be in. All the openers are getting runs and with every given opportunity, all of us are making the best use of it. Even in Bangladesh, you saw Shikhar and Vijay batted really positively and set the tone for the Test match. If not for the rain, maybe we would have won the match because they got runs at a very good clip. When it comes to the three of us, we are enjoying each others’ success, we are spending a lot of time together at the nets, talking to each other, trying to give each other a lot of inputs and talk about the bowlers. They have played Sri Lankan bowlers. They were there telling me what their bowlers do and what their skill is. So enjoying being there and being a part of the team.
On his preferred batting position
KL Rahul: I have always believed that as a professional cricketer, you need to be flexible in your mind and whatever the team wants you to do, you should be ready to adapt quickly and deliver for the team. Whatever the team demands from me, I will do that; but if you ask me personally, I have always opened the batting, I enjoy batting up the order. But again, if the team wants me to bat in a different position, it is a good challenge for me and if the team requires that, I will have to do that.
