KL Rahul is a bit of a mystery, as far as Indian cricket is concerned. He has been a thorough team man, where he has responded to the team’s needs always. In the Australia series too, he was made to become the opener in Rohit Sharma’s absence. Now once again, just after the completion of the IPL, despite not being picked for the IND A squad, he made a special request to the BCCI, to be included in the match; then went on to score a ton vs England Lions.
KL Rahul Slams Ton for India A
As per his childhood coach Samuel Jayraj, all this isn’t anything new for the batter, as he has been standing up to the challenge since his early days. “If you ask me, as a coach, this isn’t surprising. He was always ready. He was also a wicketkeeper. He would smartly rotate strike, taking singles on the fourth, fifth, or sixth ball, then face the next over. He follows instructions really well. If you noticed in the Champions Trophy, his role was very specific-and he executed it perfectly,” Jayaraj told Times of India.
The coach clarified that KL Rahul did not show any frustration after being not picked for the T20 World Cup, despite a solid 50-over World Cup only a few months before that.
“In fact, despite having a very good ODI World Cup, he wasn’t picked for the T20 World Cup. He didn’t crib or get frustrated. Because he has seen these things as a kid. That’s why he’s so strong today both mentally and technically. And that’s his biggest strength. He’s matured a lot. He’s been playing cricket at a high level for 10 years now. That experience shows. If you watch him now, he’s a completely different player – much calmer, composed, and in control. For me, that calmness is what stands out the most,” he added.
Childhood Coach Confident of Super Show by Rahul
To add to all this, Jayraj confirmed that the world will witness a different KL Rahul in the England series. “I always tell him just one thing – enjoy and become. That’s always been my message, my mantra, even my password, you could say. You have to enjoy what you do. You have to be happy. If you’re not happy, your body simply won’t respond the way you want it to,” Jayaraj said.
“For me, form is temporary – but the skill and technique you develop stay with you forever. Honestly, when he was playing state and zonal matches in Mangalore and Bangalore, we coaches always had the red ball in mind. We didn’t really think much about white-ball cricket back then. So the foundation he built – the technique and skill – was rooted in red-ball cricket,” the coach added.
“In England, a more and more matured KL Rahul will be seen,” a confident Jayaraj remarked.
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