It is never easy to be in and out of the national team, says KL Rahul
In the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul rose to the occasion and finished the three-match T20I series against West Indies as the 2nd highest run-scorer just behind his skipper Virat Kohli. He proved to be the perfect foil for the chase master who was at his sensational best in the 1st and the deciding T20I. Rahul began the series with a stroke-filled 62 of 40 deliveries and laid the foundation for the mammoth chase of 208 runs in the series opener.
The stylish right-handed batsman failed in the 2nd encounter but roared back strongly in the decider with a brilliant knock of 91 of 56 deliveries. He has been a run-scorer-par-excellence for India in the shortest format. However, he wasn’t India’s first-choice opener and got an opportunity at the top only due to Shikhar Dhawan’s unavailability.
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Despite showing signs of maturity and flair, Rahul might again have to make way for Dhawan once the southpaw is fit. Rahul has been striking the ball really well having scored 313 runs in 8 innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He continued his rich vein of form in the T20I series and will be looking for much of the same in the ODI series. Rahul accepted the fact that it is not easy to be in and out of the side.
"I won't say I won't feel it (pressure) at all. Obviously, going in and out of the team is never easy on any player," Rahul said after India’s victory in the decider against West Indies. "You take a little bit of time to get used to the international pressure and oppositions and there are no opposition where you can just walk in and score runs, so it's always difficult and this game is all about confidence and all about being in good rhythm and being in good touch.
So again, having said that I can't really sit outside and not prepare, all I can do is sit outside and prepare and try to create match feel for myself and I did play a lot of first-class cricket, so not a lot changes. It is still T20 cricket, so my processes and me being out there in the middle and trying to do what I do best, trying to stay in that rhythm is important for me. I have got that opportunity to go back to first-class cricket and play some games, gain confidence and come here and just continue to do that.
"It's so important for a batsman or a bowler (or) for anybody for that matter to be in good rhythm, be out there in the middle... no matter how much you train or how many hours you put in at the nets, when you go out in the middle it is completely different. So it is important that everybody stays match ready and they have enough runs behind them as batsmen and as bowlers and have bowled enough be it first-class cricket or any other format, it is important that we keep playing cricket and be in the middle. That's helped me and I have always felt that's what helps a batsman to stay in good rhythm, not putting hours in the net, I rather be in the middle playing games.
"What's in my control is to keep putting up these performances whenever I get the opportunity and I am not at that stage where I worry about whether I'll find myself playing the next tournament or anything (like that). Whenever I get the opportunity I want to win games for my team and be out there in the middle and enjoy my batting, that's the place that I get most happiness right now -- being in the middle and hitting the ball from the middle of the bat, so whenever that opportunity comes, I'll like to grab and enjoy it."
The ODI series against West Indies kicks off on 15th December and the Indian team has more or less a similar unit like the T20Is. Mayank Agarwal has replaced Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI squad but is unlikely to get a game with Rahul being the preferred opener currently.