'I Did Pretty Well At The World Cup But Was Then Dropped,' Says KL Rahul, Who Was 'Frustrated' By The Rejection

Despite hitting over 300 runs at the ICC 2019 World Cup, Indian batsman KL Rahul says he was ‘frustrated’ when he was left out of the squad for the subsequent series.

India’s World Cup campaign ended with disappointment. India was outplayed by New Zealand in the first semi-final at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, despite finishing the league stage as the No. 1 team at the top of the points table, with their sole defeat coming against England.

India fell short by 18 runs in reply to New Zealand’s 239/8, putting an end to Virat Kohli’s team’s strong run in the competition.

Despite injuries, India was ahead of every other team at the end of the league stage. Shikhar Dhawan suffered a fractured wrist and had to be ruled out of the game early on. Vijay Shankar was later ruled out due to an ankle ailment, and Rishabh Pant was called up in his place.

I played great until we started the series, at which point I got dropped: KL Rahul

However, with India set to play the West Indies soon after the World Cup, Rahul was discarded, an event that the star batter reflected on. Rahul described the situation as “frustrating,” but said he found comfort in Chris Gayle in order to get through it.

“I recall we played in the World Cup in 2019 and then traveled to the West Indies for a series shortly after. I played in the World Cup and did reasonably well, but when the series began, I was dropped. ‘Come by the pool,’ he offered while I was messaging him. ‘I’m going to have a drink.”

“The next day was his 300th game, so he was overjoyed and invited some buddies around. As a result, I went. I was lounging by the pool. He came over, sat down next to me, and asked why I wasn’t playing ” KL Rahul stated

KL Rahul admitted that being pulled after a respectable World Cup performance was a frustrating experience for him, but that the West Indies legend’s Chris Gayle guidance helped him land a better possibility.

“I was clearly unhappy since I didn’t participate in the World Cup and won’t be playing in this. It’s illogical. So, I was just chatting to him, and he said, ‘See, you can always say you’re not playing for a hundred different reasons, but whether you play or not is in your hands.”

“Get 150 if 70 isn’t enough. If 150 isn’t enough, up the ante to 200. That’s how you should approach things. Get 800 runs if a 600-run IPL season isn’t enough. Alternatively, if you’re getting 50s and 60s in the World Cup, you should convert that to 100-120s. Then no one has the power to replace you.’ “Added he.

Due to Dhawan’s injury, KL Rahul, who batted at No. 4 in India’s first two matches, was elevated to open alongside Rohit Sharma, and he performed admirably, scoring 361 runs in nine matches, including two fifties and a century.

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