'I Sulked, I Won’t Lie': KL Rahul On His Koffee With Karan Controversy

India’s new on-field and off-field limited-overs star, KL Rahul has now opened up on the biggest controversy of his life. He was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after some controversial statements on a reality chat show. Along with him, all-rounder Hardik Pandya also faced the ban. Rahul has now expressed as to how his life changed after the incident.

The prominent batsman is the new talk of the town for team India in international cricket. Fortune has favoured the brave in his case as his hard work and commitment towards the sport has finally earned him a permanent seat in the Indian national side, particularly in the limited-overs format.

Rahul has emerged as a solution to India’s long withstanding problem of a permanent wicket-keeper batsman in the white-ball cricket.

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KL Rahul Opens Up On Life After Koffee With Karan Controversy:

“Everybody kept saying time will heal, but you don’t see it as a young guy. I hadn’t really performed well earlier in Australia [December 2018-January 2019]. There was that frustration. It was tough on my family as well because my mom and dad worry about society, what people will say,” Rahul said.

“I sulked, I won’t lie. I didn’t want to do anything. The only thing that made me forget what was happening was training, cricket and some golf. Now, after a year, when people say ‘time heals’, ‘everything happens for the best’ etc, these clichéd lines start to feel true,” the Karnataka wicket-keeper batsman added.

Notably, Rahul admitted that it was difficult to move on after the incident. He portrayed extreme grit and determination and stayed committed to the work ethics that has now earned him the spot that he has.

He said, “I personally needed a hit like that to wake up and know which direction I’m going in. I realised I wasn’t good at anything else [except cricket]. I was too far into this, I’d chosen what I have to do and I had to give it everything. From there, my focus became better. It made me stronger and more disciplined.”

The prolific top-order batsman Rahul is now reaching heights after his performance with the Men in Blue. He scored a couple of half-centuries in the ongoing India-New Zealand T20I series. His performance has helped him lead his IPL side, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). He now looks like a permanent wicket-keeper batsman for team India in limited-overs cricket.

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