ENG vs IND 2025: 'Worked with F1 coaches to improve my reaction time' - KL Rahul after Lord's ton

KL Rahul has expressed his love for batting at the top of the order. Following his second century of the series, the Indian opener shed light on the unique preparation behind his success. Rahul revealed that he worked on improving his reaction time under the guidance of coaches with experience in Formula 1, a sport where split-second reflexes are crucial.

So far, Rahul has arguably been the most assured batter in the series. His ability to leave the ball well and play it late has made a significant difference, especially in the challenging English conditions. He has been shuffled across the batting order in the past, and now feels a sense of comfort with the prospect of continuing in his preferred opening role going forward.

“In the last year or so or in the last couple of years, I have worked on a few mental drills. I spent a bit of time with an expert who can help me with improving my reaction time. And some mental drills and games that you can play that help you get better with your reaction time and stuff like that,” said Rahul as quoted by NDTV Sports.

“I have seen this in Formula One quite a lot. I picked this up from one of the guys that I worked with in Austria's Salzburg. I had the opportunity to go there and work with some of the coaches. That work with the elite Formula One guys and other adventure sports people who require a lot of this mental side of the game, helped a lot. So I've worked on that and I guess that's the only thing that's been different in the last year or so,” he added.

The century on Saturday was not as free-flowing as Rahul’s previous one in Leeds, largely due to the slower nature of the Lord's pitch, but he adapted well and found a way to build his innings accordingly.

“I've always enjoyed batting long periods of time even when I was growing up. Even when I played junior cricket, I always enjoyed batting long hours and I could focus for long hours. I think a bit of that and a bit of this has just helped me in the last few years,” Rahul said.

“That's something that I've strived for all my career is to be consistent and perform on a consistent basis. So I'm happy that the performances are coming through in the last few years,” he concluded.