Rahul: Those who brand you as Test player may not be right

"To all those guys who have been branded as Test players before, I want to tell that there will be coaches and players in the dressing room who can tell you that you are not good enough for a certain format. I never thought that they were right," said Rahul to an interview to bcci.tv.

Published : Jun 16, 2016 18:08 IST , Harare

K. L. Rahul was the man of the series in the India-Zimbabwe ODI series for scoring 196 runs.
K. L. Rahul was the man of the series in the India-Zimbabwe ODI series for scoring 196 runs.
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K. L. Rahul was the man of the series in the India-Zimbabwe ODI series for scoring 196 runs.

Exultant after doing well in his debut ODI series, Indian opener KL Rahul hit back at those who branded him as a ‘Test player’.

“To all those guys who have been branded as Test players before, I want to tell that there will be coaches and players in the dressing room who can tell you that you are not good enough for a certain format. I never thought that they were right. I knew I was blessed with certain skills,” Rahul, who scored 196 runs in 3 ODIs with a century and half-century told bcci.tv.

Asked what his advice will be for those aspiring to play for India, the soft-spoken Mangalorean said: “My advice will be to not listen to people. Of course you have to listen to your coaches and elders but you don’t have to listen to what they say all the time. You know what’s best for your game. Go out there, be yourself and express yourself. And when someone says you can’t do something, prove them wrong.”

Rahul, who made his debut during the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne back in 2014, has two Test hundreds against the Aussies and Sri Lanka. Many thought his copybook technique to be perfectly suited for the longer version before this year’s Indian Premier League, where he got more than 450 runs.

“I had worked really hard on my game. I worked on my strength and became strong enough so that every time I hit the ball, it went to the boundary.”

This was the first time that Rahul played a full series under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership (he had just played under him during his debut in Melbourne). The talented Karnataka lad said that standing at slips alongside Dhoni has given him a sneak peek into what goes in ’Captain Cool’s’ mind.

“Normally I don’t speak to him (Dhoni) too much but if I don’t understand and ask him, he would explain as to what was his thought process behind moving a fielder or giving someone the ball.”

Rahul, who also is a makeshift wicketkeeper, is trying to pick up a few finer points of ‘keeping by watching his skipper.

“I was watching as to how he is keeping wickets in these conditions where especially when the ball swings, it starts wobbling as it comes behind the stumps. Also he stands at different positions for different bowlers.”

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