KL Rahul was overwhelmed when he walked into the cricket ground for the first time five months recently. He was shedding tears, but the tears were out of joy and the happiness to get back in the field.
“After running on concrete and treadmill for months, when you step onto the ground you feel like you’re walking on a cloud,” the India top-order batsman told TOI in an exclusive chat. “It’s difficult to explain the feeling. I was half in tears, half smiling. In fact, I just couldn’t stop smiling. Just to be able to get out and run on the ground felt so good.”
KL Rahul is now preparing for his challenges as a skipper of Kings XI Punjab in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League which will be held in the United Arab Emirates next month. He looked excited for captaining in the IPL for the first time. The 27-year-old is also looking forward to work with the former India skipper and legendary bowler Anil Kumble, who is the head of the cricket operations for the Punjab based franchise.
“Not having that chance to go to the gym or practice was frustrating,” he said. “But we adapted well. We managed to put together gyms at home. Some of us started cycling, running in the car parks of apartments. We didn’t have a choice. There were days when I was annoyed and frustrated, but I kept telling myself there were a lot of others having it much harder and tougher in life.”
Tougher still was quelling anxiety. “I was scared,” he admitted. “I kept wondering if my skills would remain the same when I returned to the sport. I had nightmares. A couple of times I woke up in the middle of the night because I dreamt I had forgotten how to pick the line and length. It scared the hell out of me. To be honest, when I went back to play the first session, it was horrible because I was rusty.”
“I’m lucky because we share a great understanding. We go a long way and he’s seen me from my younger days. I’ve always looked up to Anil Bhai. He has led the country, has a wealth of experience, and has played this format as well. His knowledge of the game will be of great help in my first year as captain. His guidance and experience will be valuable. It will help me make good decisions in the middle,” pointed out Rahul.
Rahul is uncertain about his captaincy role. “As a leader, you will have to be mindful of the fact that a lot of players will be rusty. We will all be nervous because we are restarting the game with a major tournament without much action in recent times. So, it’s important for a leader to make the players feel comfortable and let them know that it’s okay to feel like that initially. That said, it will be a good learning experience for each one of us because we have a great set of coaches and support staff,” he said.
“I haven’t really thought about it. I’m still looking forward to going there and finishing the six-day quarantine and getting back to training and preparing with the boys. All I know is that the weather’s going to be hot. So, we have to be in good shape to withstand that. Most likely it’s going to be slow and turning wickets. We have a good set of spinners in our line-up and our batsmen are well equipped. That gives me a lot of confidence going into the tournament,” signed off Rahul.
