I Watched Brendon McCullum's Videos And Took Inspiration: Rahul Tripathi

Brendon McCullum, during his playing days, set the IPL on fire with his blistering 158 runs knock in the opening match. McCullum had a successful career as a captain and player for New Zealand. He liked to open the attack on the oppositions from the word go. As the IPL is set for a new season, KKR’s new recruit Rahul Tripathi opened up about taking inspiration from the Kiwi.

Tripathi likes to play attacking cricket. He said that he has always watch McCullum and his videos and taken inspiration from his style of play.  He is also excited to join the KKR franchise and especially due to the presence of McCullum.

“I have had a few video chats with McCullum. I used to step out and hit those balls during the 2017 IPL. People used to ask me how I charge down easily. I used to say it all came from watching McCullum’s videos. He was the one who would really take on those bowlers,” Tripathi was quoted on the official website of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

“The day the auction happened, I was very happy. As a child you know, I saw Brendon McCullum playing that amazing knock [158 not out off 73 balls in the first-ever IPL match] and Shahrukh Khan waving from the stand. Of course, seeing your heroes is special and it makes me very excited,” Tripathi concluded.

McCullum had a ‘hit out or get out’ sort of temperament and his natural game benefited the Kiwis to the fore.

McCullum retired from international cricket after Global T20 Canada league in 2019. Apart from playing his national time he also plied his trade for franchise leagues across the world. McCullum will always be remembered for setting the tone in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his blitzkreig knock of 158 runs for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

McCullum retired with over 14,000 runs in international cricket and a decent strike rate across format. He also led New Zealand to the 2015 World Cup final.