K L Rahul after scoring a century against Pakistan.
Credit: Instagram/klrahul
At this point, KL Rahul seems disenchanted with press conferences. So, it’s a wonder why the Indian management even sent him to address the media in the wake of India’s 41-run win over Sri Lanka on Tuesday night.
Sure, he was the obvious choice after scores of 111 not out against Pakistan on Monday and a crucial 39 against Sri Lanka, but his demeanour should have been accounted for. That said, the entire team, possibly because of having played on three consecutive days, wore a look of exasperation the entire duration of the rain-affected game.
In fact, Rahul and Rohit Sharma were engaged in a fairly animated discussion and it eventually led to the Indian skipper rebuking him, rather blatantly, for a few overs over the keeper’s indecision during a particular DRS call.
Perhaps Rahul carried over some of that distaste. Whatever might be the case, the Karnataka player should have remained professional, even if only for a few minutes. Instead, he offered: “Yeah, I am happy with how the last two games have gone. I was a little nervous initially but as I started facing a few balls I felt alright.”
When asked about his keeping and if he felt any discomfort at all, he said: “I have been keeping wickets for the last couple of years. I think I started keeping in 2019 when Rishabh (Pant) got concussed against Australia. So, it is not new and the team management has also told me that this will be my role – batting in the middle-order and keeping wickets. During my time at the NCA, I have worked on my keeping with the coaches there. Hopefully, I can do both roles well.”
The only time there was any real expression on his typically ‘stoic’ face is when the topic of Dunith Wellalagare came up, and that too towards the end. The 20-year-old picked up five wickets and scored an elegant 42 not out.
“Yeah, he did his job for the team. He looked the most dangerous bowler from the Sri Lankan attack till I was there, and obviously (Charith) Asalanka also picked up a few wickets later on. He was good, but we’ll be better when we meet him next,” he said in a tone which suggested sporting vindictiveness.