<p>K L Rahul sat behind the microphone with a contented smile, and brown streaks on his thickening beard, forehead and well-jelled hair. <br /><br /></p>.<p>“Rahul, is there any beauty treatment going on?” someone quipped. He broke into a pouty smile. “Actually, this is a trend in the team. Anyone who breaks a record or scores a hundred gets a cake,” said Rahul.<br /><br />He might well have got a basket full of cakes as the Karnataka opener scored 337 and broke a host of records on Friday against Uttar Pradesh, the second day of their Group A Ranji Trophy match.<br /><br />Karnataka have produced an illustrious line of batsmen – GR Vishwanath, Rahul Dravid, Brijesh Patel, Vijay Bharadwaj, the list is too long to recall all the names. They all had scored heavily in domestic circuit, but that magical 300 eluded them.<br /><br />It required a 22-year-old from Suratkal to fetch Karnataka their first triple centurion. He was understandably elated. “Obviously feeling very happy. <br /><br />Great feeling to go down in the history books, especially knowing the kind of history and batsman that Karnataka has produced. To be the first guy to get a 300 from this state feels very very good,” said Rahul.<br /><br />Apart from a couple of occasions on Thursday where he uncharacteristically looked impatient, Rahul’s 11 hours and 11 mintues vigil at the crease was a treat to watch. He played shots laced with confidence and elegance in equal measure.So, was he in the zone? <br /><br />Or did the approaching milestones distract him? Rahul pondered a little before responding. “After batting for so long, I was tired and not thinking about records. Runs were coming easily, and I did not have to pressure myself. Everyone was on the boundary so I was getting runs easily. I just had to maintain my concentration,” he said.<br /><br />Keeping the concentration for such a long period over two days has been a remarkable effort, and Rahul explained it thus: “It is very important to be physically strong to concentrate for long hours. If the team loses wickets at important times, and with the new batsman coming in, I had to build one more partnership. It happened here too. I had a good alliance with Shreyas, then came Gautam and had another stand with Kazi. It helped me to go on. I also didn’t want to be too greedy as we won’t get such batsmen-friendly tracks often. So, took things calmly,” he noted.<br /><br />Rahul also said his experience of playing Tests in Australia helped. “Getting a 100 in an international match, especially for a youngster, gives immense confidence. I learnt a lot from that tour — I failed in the first game, and then got a good 100 in the second Test. I carried that confidence in this match as well.”</p>
<p>K L Rahul sat behind the microphone with a contented smile, and brown streaks on his thickening beard, forehead and well-jelled hair. <br /><br /></p>.<p>“Rahul, is there any beauty treatment going on?” someone quipped. He broke into a pouty smile. “Actually, this is a trend in the team. Anyone who breaks a record or scores a hundred gets a cake,” said Rahul.<br /><br />He might well have got a basket full of cakes as the Karnataka opener scored 337 and broke a host of records on Friday against Uttar Pradesh, the second day of their Group A Ranji Trophy match.<br /><br />Karnataka have produced an illustrious line of batsmen – GR Vishwanath, Rahul Dravid, Brijesh Patel, Vijay Bharadwaj, the list is too long to recall all the names. They all had scored heavily in domestic circuit, but that magical 300 eluded them.<br /><br />It required a 22-year-old from Suratkal to fetch Karnataka their first triple centurion. He was understandably elated. “Obviously feeling very happy. <br /><br />Great feeling to go down in the history books, especially knowing the kind of history and batsman that Karnataka has produced. To be the first guy to get a 300 from this state feels very very good,” said Rahul.<br /><br />Apart from a couple of occasions on Thursday where he uncharacteristically looked impatient, Rahul’s 11 hours and 11 mintues vigil at the crease was a treat to watch. He played shots laced with confidence and elegance in equal measure.So, was he in the zone? <br /><br />Or did the approaching milestones distract him? Rahul pondered a little before responding. “After batting for so long, I was tired and not thinking about records. Runs were coming easily, and I did not have to pressure myself. Everyone was on the boundary so I was getting runs easily. I just had to maintain my concentration,” he said.<br /><br />Keeping the concentration for such a long period over two days has been a remarkable effort, and Rahul explained it thus: “It is very important to be physically strong to concentrate for long hours. If the team loses wickets at important times, and with the new batsman coming in, I had to build one more partnership. It happened here too. I had a good alliance with Shreyas, then came Gautam and had another stand with Kazi. It helped me to go on. I also didn’t want to be too greedy as we won’t get such batsmen-friendly tracks often. So, took things calmly,” he noted.<br /><br />Rahul also said his experience of playing Tests in Australia helped. “Getting a 100 in an international match, especially for a youngster, gives immense confidence. I learnt a lot from that tour — I failed in the first game, and then got a good 100 in the second Test. I carried that confidence in this match as well.”</p>
