NEW DELHI: Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul provided insights into the team’s mindset and approach ahead of their final group stage match against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.
Despite securing a semifinal spot with victories over Bangladesh and Pakistan, Rahul emphasized that the team is focused on the present and not dwelling on past successes or failures.
Rahul acknowledged that the team has learned from their disappointing performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where they failed to qualify for the semifinals.
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“Those are things that did affect us back then. And it wasn’t a pleasant time for us players to not be in the semifinals (in 2021) or do well in the competitions. I think we’ve learned from that. In the last two or three ICC events, we’ve done really well, we’ve performed really well,” Rahul said during a media interaction.
“We’re not thinking about what happened in the past or the good things or the bad things. Just what was important was to stay in the present. I get the sense within the team that everyone’s quite relaxed and quite balanced.
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“And everyone’s only thinking and talking about the game that is in front of us and not about winning in the semifinals. We are just taking it one step at a time.”
When asked about the competition with Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper-batter role, Rahul stated that he is not trying to compete with Pant or play like him. Instead, he focuses on doing what he does best and sticking to his game.
“There’s always the temptation for the team, captain or the coach to take him. I’m not trying to compete with Rishabh. I’m not trying to play like him. I try and do what I do best and try and stick to my game,” Rahul said.
Rahul also addressed the criticism surrounding his strike rate, stating that he is accustomed to it and tries to evaluate whether the criticism is valid.
“I’m quite used to seeing it and hearing it and reading about it. Sometimes I just sit back and see whether the criticism is valid… That’s not something that I try to think about when I go into a game that I need to up my strike rate,” he added. “I try to see what the best thing is for the team and for me to do in that scenario and I try to do that. And not always am I going to be right.”
