IPL taught me to believe in my abilities: KL Rahul

KL Rahul and his career have taken off following an impressive tour of the West Indies and the United States. While the 24-year old Karnataka batsman has indeed impressed with some impressive batting, he remains to be grounded on a level that most certainly does not allow complacency. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Rahul said that the IPL was indeed a key moment for him in his career.

He became a mainstay of the Royal Challengers Bangalore unit that was captained by Virat Kohli. Apart from keeping wickets, Rahul impressed quite heavily with the bat as those performances eventually saw him getting picked in the Indian squad.

“This year’s IPL was the key moment for me to start believing in myself and my shorter format abilities,” Rahul said. “Once people saw it, they started believing it too. I think it is very important when your own team-mates start believing that you have the game. I always knew I could play the shorter format but it was about putting a few performances there. A couple of good innings and I knew I will start believing a lot more in myself, so yes it worked out well for me this summer.”

Rahul went on to enumerate how Virat Kohli helped him during the IPL.”We feel lucky we don’t have to look too far, the guy who inspires you is sitting right next to you in the dressing room,” he said. “The level of commitment that he (Kohli) has shown, the discipline and work ethics, the way he has been so disciplined with his fitness, nutrition, and diet, that is something that has inspired all of us.

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“If you come into the dressing room now you see how all the boys are so disciplined. He’s helped me in shaping my career. When I came into Test cricket, I was good but not as good as I am now. Virat has helped me with my preparation, mindset and he has given me a lot of confidence.”

Finally, speaking about his tour of the West Indies, Rahul added, “It is really strange but there is no mental switch that I make. If you saw the innings in St. Lucia, I got a 50 in 56 balls (65) or something opening the innings when the ball was doing a little bit. I try to keep things very simple. I go into the field, try to assess the pitch and the situation, see what are the best shots I can play and what is the best approach to have on that day.”

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