‘That's something that sometimes affects me and affects a lot of the other boys’ - KL Rahul opens up on online abuse and trolls

The recent past has been relatively tough for India opener KL Rahul. He failed to make the most of the opportunity in the T20 World Cup in Australia and then, he got dropped from the playing XI after two Test matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, lost his position as a leader in all three formats and on May 1, he suffered a horrific injury that ruled him out of the ongoing IPL 2023 and the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia.

Notably, because of his lack of runs and poor strike rate, KL Rahul has faced a lot of backlash in recent times as many fans on the internet even asked the Indian team to drop him. Former India international Venkatesh Prasad too has come harsh on the 30-year-old. Meanwhile, talking about the abuses and trolling that he faced, Rahul stated that it affects his mental health and everyone that goes through it.

“That's something that sometimes affects me and affects a lot of the other boys as well that when we athletes truly need support, people feel they can or have the power to comment or say what they want. Just see what that person is going through. None of us wants to perform badly. This is our life. This is all we do. Like I said, I don't know anything else apart from cricket,” Rahul said in the Ranveer Show podcast.

“That's the only thing I do. Why would anyone assume that I am not serious about my game or that I am not working hard enough? And unfortunately in sports, there is no connection. Like I said you can work hard, like I work hard but the result didn't go my way,” he added.

Notably, it is not clarified as to when the cricketer will be making his return to professional cricket. However, with the ODI World Cup around the corner, Rahul is expected to hit the ground soon but a tentative date is yet to be announced.