Rahul Dravid Helped A Lot: KL Rahul After Impressive Comeback

Time away from international cricket might have worked as blessing in disguise for KL Rahul.  Before being suspended in the wake of the Koffee with Karan controversy, Rahul was having a terrible time in international cricket. Except the 149-run knock in the inconsequential Test against England, Rahul had managed to score just one fifty-plus in 2018 which came against Afghanistan at home.

Rahul had with 12 single-digit scores in his last 24 Test innings. In fact, he scored 17 scores of  less than 20  in his last 24 innings. Consequently, he managed to score just 484 runs since November 2017 at an average of 21.59. What makes things further worse for Rahul is the amount of balls he has faced. On an average, he has faced just 35 balls in an innings. It is the lowest number of balls per innings amongst all Indian batsmen.

The suspension only made things worse for him. However, things changed when the BCCI lifted the ban and allowed him to join India A squad for the home series against England.

Rahul got a chance to spend some time with the legendary Rahul Dravid, the coach of India A, and the improvement in his batting soon followed. He scored two fifties in the unofficial Tests which paved the way for his recall in the national team for the recently-concluded T20I series against Australia.

Rahul got an opportunity to open the innings in both the games and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After scoring a half-century in the first T20I at Vizag, Rahul continued his good show with the bat by playing a stroke-filled knock of 47 in the second. Unfortunately, both of his knocks went in vain as Australia won the series2-0.

Speaking at the end of the game, Rahul said playing for India A helped him focus on his skill and technique before highlighting the importance of Dravid in his recent turnaround.

“I got some time off from international cricket, so I could come back to India and reflect on what was not going right for me. Fortunately, I got to play some India A games where the pressure is a bit less and where I could focus on my skill and my technique.

“Got to spend a lot of time with Rahul Dravid, working on my game and chatting about cricket. He helped a lot in the five games I played for India A. The time I have spent in the middle has helped. It is nice to be back with the boys and back in blue,” said Rahul.

Rahul further said he was hoping that the recent controversy would be a blessing in a disguise for him.

“I hope so. Things happen like I said. Four-five years with Team India. Learnt about the game, where I stand as a cricketer, as a person so just try to get better from there and be consistent and keep performing,” he said.