"Virat's best friend is his anger"- KL Rahul on importance of aggression in cricket
KL Rahul's relaxed demeanor and body language has led many to believe that he is a cool and calm customer on the field. However, the 29-year-old has revealed that he is very aggressive on the inside.
KL Rahul gave the example of former Indian captain Virat Kohli to explain how having a bit of anger brings the best out of certain players. Rahul believes that like Kohli, even he has the 'fire in the belly' to do well for his team consistently.
Speaking on the show 'Breakfast with Champions', here's what KL Rahul had to say about the importance of being aggressive:
"As I grew up, I never wanted to be too calm. I think Virat also has said this. His best friend is his anger. You learn how to use that anger and channelize it into proper things. There is a fire in everybody. I think you can't play a sport like cricket or anything in life if don't have a fire inside you."
"Virat told me in the bus"- KL Rahul on how he got Test captaincy
KL Rahul recently got a golden opportunity to captain his country in a Test match. When India played South Africa in the second Test in Johannesburg, then-captain Kohli struggled with a stiff back. The 29-year-old revealed that he was told by Kohli on the bus on the morning of the game that he might need to lead the team.
On this, Rahul stated:
"When I got the opportunity to captain the country in Johannesburg in a Test match, it happened so suddenly. Virat told me in the bus on the morning of the game that 'I may not play this game because I have a stiff back'. Till I was in the bus and till I reached the ground for warmups, I was like 'no, Virat can't miss a game because of a small injury'."
Rahul also spoke about how good he felt while walking for the toss wearing the Indian blazer. He added:
"After the warmups is when the coach told me that he is not looking good and that I need to go wear the blazer and go for the toss. I didn't have a blazer so I had to borrow Virat's. When I was walking down the steps, I was like 'this looks good on me'. I was always confident and happy."
Difficult journeys help you to improve and grow stronger.
The results might not have gone our way, but we will learn from the mistakes.
Leading the country was a great honour, a proud moment which cannot be described in words. https://t.co/jc7dNQlEeJ
Questions were raised about Rahul's captaincy after India lost the Johannesburg Test. The 29-year-old will be determined to prove his critics wrong and has got a great opportunity to do so while captaining the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2022 season.