India's wicketkeeper KL Rahul successfully stumps to dismiss Sri Lanka's Sadeera Samarawickrama during the Asia Cup cricket match. (AP) KL Rahul made a stunning return to international cricket on Sunday, scoring a century on his Asia Cup debut against Pakistan.
Rahul had been out of action since May when he suffered an injury during the Indian Premier League. Thereafter he underwent surgery and spent a considerable time on recovery.
But once he was declared fit, Rahul fired all cylinders in Colombo, scoring a brilliant hundred against Pakistan and led India to a memorable win against their arch-rivals.
Rahul’s return is a significant boost for India, who are looking to win the Asia Cup. He is one of the world’s most talented batters, and his presence in the lineup will give India a much-needed boost in confidence.
The 29-year-old is now looking to build on his performance.
“It has been some time since I played some cricket, and so far, it has been good,” said Rahul while addressing a press conference on Tuesday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo after India’s Super Four match against Sri Lanka.
“I trusted my preparation for the last three or four months and was confident I could do the job. I was nervy initially, but once I faced a few balls, it was back to normal.”
Rahul played a crucial knock of 39 against Sri Lanka on Tuesday and added stitched an important partnership with Ishan Kishan for the fourth wicket. “After the first few balls, I tried to figure out the shots I could play and did not want to go into a shell. I wanted to defend and diffuse the pressure at the same time. I still wanted to play my shots, but according to the nature of the pitch,” he explained.
On his keeping role, Rahul said, “Before the injury, I was wicket-keeping. It has been quite a while that I have been keeping. Since Rishabh Pant got concussed in 2019, I have donned the gloves. So, it is not something new. The team management had also told me that my role would be to keep and play in the middle order.”
“When I was in NCA during recovery, I got a bit of time and I worked on my wicketkeeping,” he added.
Complementing Kuldeep Yadav, who returned with impressive figures of 4 for 43, Rahul said, “I enjoyed watching Kuldeep bowl. Sometimes, even I can’t pick him up under lights. He has developed a few new tricks in the last year, giving him results. We talk between overs and set strategy, and then it is up to Kuldeep and his skill.”
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