'I understand changes I have to make technically and mentally' - KL Rahul opens up on playing down the order for India

Australia denied India a chance of a rare whitewash in Rajkot as tourists came on top with 66 runs to conclude the series 2-1 in India's favour. Several experiments could be seen in the final ODI of the series as several players remained unavailable for the clash and KL Rahul opened up on playing down the order. Rahul, a usual opener, came down to bat at number 5 as Washington Sundar kicked off proceedings for India with Rohit Sharma.

In a post-match conversation with JioCinema, KL Rahul spoke about playing down the order. “Batting at four and five doesn’t feel like a huge difference. But yes, having opened the batting all my life – dropping to No. 5 seemed very different. I have been given that role for the last couple of years and I have played at that position for a long period of time.

So, I understand the changes I have to make technically and mentally and when to take risks. Also, I had some time away from the game – went back and saw a couple of videos of players who have done really well at No.4 and 5 and how they lead their innings. So, when I go into the middle I asses the conditions and execute the best that I can.”

He also spoke about the team’s recent performances in the Asia Cup and how they fared against Australia. “The last few weeks have put everyone in a similar mindset. The Asia Cup was really important for us, every game was a must-win game, and we were playing very competitive games. Same here during this series, we played a very good Australian side and they have had the edge over us in India in the last couple of years. So, we tried to do our best – we were assigned very specific roles and asked to execute them the best we could. Luckily for us, a lot of guys did that really well. So hopefully, we can build on that and get better as a team.”