'His enemy is not the bowler but his own state of mind' - Sanjay Manjrekar analyses KL Rahul's performance after Champions Trophy win
"What I loved about him was the state of mind when he was chasing," Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar lauded KL Rahul for his unflappable knocks during the 2025 Champions Trophy. The wicketkeeper-batter was demoted to No. 6 in the batting order and he played the finisher's role to perfection.
Manjrekar opined that Rahul's state of mind was stopping him from achieving success earlier. The cricketer-turned-commentator lauded the wicketkeeper-batter's contributions as he played a key role in India's first Champions Trophy triumph in 12 years.
Rahul remained unbeaten in the semi-final against Australia and the final versus New Zealand to take India home. Manjrekar said that these knocks were important for him after he had faltered under pressure in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against the Aussies.
"Very important for him because he was carrying that bogey of that final where he played a little slowly. He had that very candid interview where he said that it haunted him, hurt him. And to have these two innings - what I loved about him was the state of mind when he was chasing. He looked very comfortable," Manjrekar said during an interaction with ESPNcricinfo.
"The only enemy that KL Rahul has is not the bowler but his own state of mind. And he looked very relaxed and he was very happy to just carry on. He has the big shots at his beck and call. So, all that was great to see," Manjrekar went on to add," he added.
KL Rahul's performance in numbers at the 2025 Champions Trophy
Rahul finished with 140 runs from five matches in the 2025 Champions Trophy. He was unbeaten in three out of the four innings he played in the tournament. In the semi-final and final, he scored 42* (34) and 34* (33), respectively.
Rahul also had a decent outing with the gloves as he recorded the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in the tournament. He took five catches and effected one stumping in the eight-team tournament.
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