India tour of England: KL Rahul holds no regret on his time away from Test cricket, looks forward to upcoming Test series against England

 

India tour of England: KL Rahul holds no lament on his time away from Test cricket, looks forward to upcoming Test series against England

India’s wicketkeeper-batsman currently in England- KL Rahul looks all set for the upcoming 5-match Test series against England overseas. The right-handed last featured in the white jersey for Team India back then in August 2019 but holds no regrets of being unable to feature in Test cricket for so long. In a video shared by BCCI, Rahul reckoned in his time off from Test cricket, he made himself stronger as a cricketer.

“When I got dropped in 2018, I had to go back and discuss with coaches, watched a lot of videos to see where I was faltering and try to correct that,” he told BCCI.tv. “I’m happy, time off from Test cricket (has helped). Like they say, failure makes you strong, makes you more focused and determined about the game. It’s no different for me. I’m looking forward to the opportunities, trying to stay a lot calmer and more disciplined,” said Rahul in the clip posted by BCCI.

Importance of playing Test cricket 👍
Being amongst runs in the practice game 👌
Memories of the 2018 England tour 😊

Ahead of the #ENGvIND series, @klrahul11 speaks about his red-ball preparations & more 😎 - by @RajalArora

Full video 🎥 👇#TeamIndia https://t.co/nmrkWsmp7A pic.twitter.com/vCBhm2164i

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 27, 2021

The 3-minute long video also touched upon his last Test stint in England that dates back to September 2018. The 29-year old batsman made the last of his five Test hundreds at The Oval in 2018. The series had reasons to remember and forget for Rahul as he had managed just 150 runs in nine innings on that tour prior to that innings, and his position was in doubt. But Rahul suddenly changed the colors after smashing phenomenal 149 runs on the final day where he jammed well with Rishabh Pant.

“I remember The Oval being the best batting pitch we got in the whole series,” he said. “At the back of my mind, I also knew it was the last game of the series and I hadn’t done well in the series. So, it was only realistic that I would have probably not gotten a chance in the next series.

“I wanted to make it count, enjoy my batting. I had a sense of freedom in my head. I thought this may be my last opportunity to let me go and enjoy my game. Me and Rishabh, had we battled for an hour more, we could have won the game. That would have been historic, been the icing on the cake. But I’ll still hold Oval very close (to my heart).” 

The right-handed batsman showcased steel performance in the 3-Day practice match against County XI in Durham as he scored a ton. India and England are to lock horns in the first Test in Nottingham starting from August 4.

“It’s always good to get runs in the white kit,” he said of his century last week. “It’s been a while since I’d played a red-ball game, so it was very nice to be out there, and score runs. It’s important to stay patient and wait for my turn. I’ve been working on my game. It’s good to get some time in the middle and score some runs.

The practice emerged as a good opportunity to test my body and wicketkeeping skills, feels Rahul.

Rahul also reckoned that he holds high self-belief and never lets confidence go down.