'Tried really hard to be someone I wasn’t' - KL Rahul reflects on cricket journey

There has hardly been any doubts when it comes to the class and talent KL Rahul possesses. Ever since his younger days, Rahul has always come across as a batter who has had a vast artillery at his disposal. Although his international career has seen some substantial setbacks, he has always taken everything in his stride.

In a recent discussion, Rahul discussed his trajectory as a cricketer. He admitted to trying to become something which he was not, and also namedropped two cricketers he looked up to, rying to emulate their success in 20-over cricket.

“I think I grew as an individual and as a player. As a youngster, I tried really 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," stated Rahul while speaking exclusively to Star Sports.

"I also spent time with Kane Williamson at SRH. He didn’t get many chances, but he’d still go back and play amazing white-ball innings for New Zealand. Watching Dravid and Williamson, I realized I didn’t need to try so hard. I had certain gifts I could use in T20 cricket to find success,” he added.

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Once the performances started coming, the confidence followed: KL Rahul

He also cited the names ofVirat Kohli and AB de Villiers, who Rahul admitted of having a profound impact on his T20 gameplay.

“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.

Interestingly, Rahul had his best seasons in 2016 for India in T20Is in terms of strike rate and average, scoring 179 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 159.82 and average of 89.50, as well was an above-average IPL season too (397 runs in 12 innings).