Last Update on: September 28th, 2023 at 07:15 pm
Indian cricketer KL Rahul talked about the changes he had to make while shifting from opener to middle-order batter in the ODIs. The keeper-batter revealed that when he was out with injury he watched videos of players who did well at No.4 and No.5.
The story of KL Rahul from being an opener to the middle order batter in the ODIs has been one to cherish for everyone. The keeper-batter has adapted fantastically to the role and has become the backbone of the team in the middle order in the 50-over format.
KL Rahul had a rollicking start to his career as an opener but the presence of Shikhar Dhawan in the team made management adjust him in the middle order. Soon he started keeping as well and developed himself into the most crucial aspect for the team.
KL Rahul had a staggering outing in Asia Cup 2023 as he smashed 169 runs at an average of 84.50 in four matches. He then had a fantastic outing in the Australia series as well as he smashed two half-centuries and amassed 136 runs in three games.
KL Rahul admitted that going down the order he made a few changes in his technique. He added that when he goes into the middle, he assesses the conditions and does the best he can.
Speaking to Jio Cinema, he explained: “Batting at four and five doesn’t feel like a huge difference. But yes, having opened the batting all my life – dropping to No. 5 seemed very different. I have been given that role for the last couple of years and I have played at that position for a long period of time. So, I understand the changes I have to make technically and mentally and when to take risks.
“Also, I had some time away from the game – went back and saw a couple of videos of players who have done really well at No.4 and 5 and how they lead their innings. So, when I go into the middle I asses the conditions and execute the best that I can.”
The last few weeks have put everyone in a similar mindset – KL Rahul
KL Rahul further talked about how important for them to have good outings in Asia Cup 2023 and ICC World Cup 2023. He admitted that they have been assigned specific roles and they are hopeful of building on that. He elaborated:
“The last few weeks have put everyone in a similar mindset. The Asia Cup was really important for us, every game was a must-win game, and we were playing very competitive games.
“Same here during this series, we played a very good Australian side and they have had the edge over us in India in the last couple of years.
“So, we tried to do our best – we were assigned very specific roles and asked to execute them the best we could. Luckily for us, a lot of guys did that really well. So hopefully, we can build on that and get better as a team.”
The ICC World Cup 2023 will begin from 5th October. India will open their campaign against Australia on 8th October.
