Interview with KL Rahul: "It felt great to score 93 against Pakistan"

He was 18 when he moved to Bangalore from his home town in coastal Karnataka in pursuit of cricket. It was a little before this that people involved in the game took notice of him and pegged him to be the next Rahul Dravid from the state.

Incidentally, he shares his first name with the legendary batsman and he often manages to live up to the billing. KL Rahul, though, is still taking baby steps in international cricket. But going by his fantastic outing in the recent U-23 Asian Cricket Council’s Emerging teams Cup in Singapore, where he helped India clinch the final against Pakistan with a fabulous unbeaten 93, the youngster seems to be right on track to emulate Dravid.

In an exhaustive interview with Sportskeeda, Rahul speaks of his journey so far, the series in Singapore and the comparisons made to the legendary Dravid. Excerpts:

Playing Pakistan in the U-19 World Cup, you had gotten out cheaply. Scoring big against them in the final this time must have meant a lot?

I had gotten out for a duck. It was always on the back of my mind when I went out to play the final. To get out for a duck back then had hurt me a lot. It was the World Cup and playing an India-Pakistan game was something I had dreamt about all my life. I was waiting for the next chance and it feels great to get back at them in the final.

A lot of your contemporaries’ emphasis that the IPL has helped them tremendously. But in your case, you hardly got as many games to play. Do you think you have missed out on the IPL learning?

Not really. Just to be there, travel with the team, practice with players like Virat (Kohli), Chris Gayle, de Villers and watch them play was a huge learning for me. I’m not worried that I haven’t been able to play as many matches in the IPL like my contemporaries. Whatever little chance I got I learnt from it.

For those who have watched you play in the domestic matches can bet their life on the fact that you are capable of greater innings. But somehow, on a big stage, you don’t seem to convert your starts. Why is that so?

I don’t deny that I was not disappointed about not converting good starts to 100s in this tournament, but most of the games were low scoring and the conditions were challenging. My skills as a batsman were tested and I am not beating myself up for not getting a good start. The learning in this tournament was great and I am now aware where I am lacking and where I need to improve upon. But this was a big break that I was waiting for.

It’s been learnt that you practiced till late in the night for this tournament. Was there anything in particular you wanted to perfect for the series?

I was going about my usual practice. I didn’t do anything different because we didn’t really know what to expect from the tournament and the venue. It’s just that I get a lot of personal satisfaction when I train a lot and it helps my confidence before entering a big game. It’s important for me to know that I have corrected my flaws and I am fully prepared to face the challenge.

You moved to Bangalore when you were 18 in pursuit of making a career in cricket. The road hasn’t been easy for you. Looking back, don’t you feel like you have come a long way?

I always believe that the tougher it is to achieve your dream, the more you value it. I knew it was a good decision to move to Bangalore because there’s a lot more happening here. It’s not that Mangalore didn’t have a place to train. We didn’t have good turfs like you find here. There’s a lot of college cricket here and exposure is good. But I am glad that people took notice of me early. They have shown a lot of faith in me and I consider myself lucky for that.

Coming from a small city like Mangalore, people you know must be very proud.

My family, cousins, all of them follow my game. I do enjoy the support of the people of Mangalore. Just to know that someone from Mangalore is playing for the country is a proud moment for them.

Your parents are academicians. Did you face some trouble to get their consent to play full-time cricket?

My parents have never said no to cricket. It’s just that they didn’t want me to put my studies on the back burner for the sake of cricket. The thing is that they are never satisfied with what I am doing and that sort of keeps me motivated to get better.

You are often compared Rahul Dravid. Does that sort of play on your mind when you go out to bat?

It feels good to be compared to a legend but I am not thinking about it when I go out to play. I like to go with a clear mind.