KL Rahul’s moment of reckoning has arrived

Given how talented he is, K L Rahul should have been one of the permanent fixtures in the Indian team by now. A combination of a series of injuries at inopportune times and some avoidable incidents has, however, ensured that there is often a debate over his spot in the squad.

His selection to the forthcoming World Cup wasn’t devoid of diverging opinions but having found his place in the 15-member squad, it’s a golden chance for the right-hander to prove why the team management is willing to invest in him so much. The 27-year-old was left frustrated a couple of years ago when he missed the bus to England for the Champions Trophy due to a shoulder injury when he was at the peak of his batting but a second sojourn to England for a major tournament provides him with an opportunity for redemption.

While Rahul would be the first to admit that his career hasn’t reached the level it should have, he hasn’t let that thought negatively affect him. Samuel Jayaraj, Rahul’s first coach, said the young batsman has taken all the stumbling blocks in his short career in the right way.

“Whatever happens, it happens for the good and Rahul is a firm believer of that,” Jayaraj told DH. “Injuries can happen anytime. Rahul took that phase in the right way and tried to do things that he missed out while he was busy playing for the country. He spent quality time with his parents, tried his hand at commentary as a studio panelist and enjoyed his holiday. I think that’s the way to go about it, instead of worrying about something that’s not in your control,” Jayaraj, who is also the coach of the Mangalore Zone U-19 team.

With a couple of days to go for cricket’s biggest extravaganza, Mangaluru, Rahul’s hometown, is excited to see one of their own on the biggest stage of cricket. Fans and rising talents of the city are thrilled and inspired by Rahul’s journey.

“Mangaluru was never known for cricket. Mangalore Zone never had a great batsman, until Rahul arrived. Youngsters are showing more interest in the game and players in our academy are hungry to make it big. In fact, a couple of boys from Uttarakhand contacted me, saying they want to train in our academy. They had a chat with me and told me that they wanted to be trained like KL Rahul. It was surprising. That’s the impact Rahul’s success has had on budding cricketers,” Jayaraj said.

Jayaraj felt Rahul can handle the pressure of the World Cup because he has the right mindset.

“Right from his childhood, he is a composed player and a good thinker of the game. We had a chat before he left for England and we spoke on the importance of batting long. Be it opening the batting or playing at number 4, he will have to score big runs and try to remain in the middle for long,” he offered.

Apart from his technical issues in Test cricket, Rahul had to strive hard to be a regular in the one-day internationals. The 27-year-old was one of those rare Indian players who was a Test and T20I specialist but ignored for the 50-over format.

“Rahul is always open for learning. During his age-group days, whenever he got out early, he would wait for our disappointment to come down a bit and request for throw-downs. In recent times, he has improvised his game to suit for ODI cricket. A classy straight-bat player, he can now execute horizontal shots well. He cuts, sweeps and pulls with fine technique and even rotates the strike well,” Jayaraj pointed out.