Credits: BCCI
Indian wicket-keeper batsman KL Rahul opened up on the impact of legendary batter Rahul Dravid on his career. Not only this, but he also discussed his setbacks as well as named the two players who he has always looked up to. The batter revealed that he tried hard to prove big hitting skills in the early phase of his career, but seeing legendary players like Dravid and New Zealand's Kane Williamson changed his perspective.
The 32-year-old commented on the impact Dravid's batting has had on him and told Star Sports, "I think I grew as an individual and as a player. As a youngster, I tried hard to be someone I wasn’t, trying to hit big sixes to prove I could. It just wasn’t coming naturally. What changed for me was watching Rahul Dravid in one of the IPL seasons around 2011 or 2012. He stayed true to his technique, and he was one of the best batsmen. Seeing him do well in one-day and T20 cricket without changing his game changed something in me." He further stated that he had the opportunity to spend time with Kane Williamson at SRH. Watching Dravid and Williamson, he realized he didn't need to try hard. "I had certain gifts I could use in T20 cricket to find success,” he added.
Once the performances started coming, the confidence followed: KL Rahul
During the interview, he stated that two players who had an impact on his T20 performance were Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. “Once I embraced that mindset, things clicked for me. In the 2016 IPL, I had Virat and AB’s guidance - the best T20 players around. Just talking to them at training about my game made a difference. Once the performances started coming, the confidence followed,” added Rahul.
KL Rahul had one of his best seasons for India in T20Is in 2016, scoring 179 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 159.82 and an average of 89.50; he also had an above-average IPL season (397 runs in 12 innings). The Lucknow Super Giants skipper was released by the franchise before the IPL 2025 big auction, which is set to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. However, there is a rumour of RCB placing a bid on KL Rahul. He began his journey with RCB in 2013 before reuniting with the team in 2016.
