'I am not so expressive, but that doesn’t mean that I am not passionate' - KL Rahul explains what helped him regain lost form

After looking completely out of touch in the T20I series, KL Rahul staged a comeback of sorts in the first ODI against England. The Karnataka batsman played an innings of 62 from just 43 balls, helping India finish on a high. His knock allowed the hosts to post 317 for 5, which turned out to be a lot for the visitors. On the eve of the second ODI, KL Rahul talked about how he got out of poor form and performed well. 

While addressing the media, Rahul explained how his calm attitude brings the best out of him. He noted that his seniors in the Indian team have taught him to stay balanced. The wicketkeeper also talked about his process. 

“Only if you are in a good frame of mind, you can perform well for the team. This is something that I have learnt over the years. I have learnt from my seniors in the Indian team how to stay balanced. I am not so expressive, but that doesn’t mean that I am not passionate. People think that I am not passionate or aggressive because I stay quiet and don’t express myself,” Rahul said at the pre-match press conference. 

I stay true to myself, says KL Rahul

Rahul also noted that the more true he is to himself, he believes he can perform better. “But, everyone is different. Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves. This is how I am and I will continue to be like this. The more I stay true to myself and stay like the way I am, I believe it gives me a better chance to do well. This is why I try to keep myself balanced,” he said. 

The 28-year-old also revealed that allowing himself to spend more time in the middle gave him the confidence to score. “For a player to forget what happened last day and come back and perform is a big challenge. I think, playing at no.5 in the ODI made me take a little bit more time in the middle,” Rahul added. 

Rahul revealed that he was allowing himself to take time in T20s as well, but it didn’t come together in that series. “In the T20s as well I was looking to give myself time but didn’t work. Spending a little time in the middle helped. Having hit a couple of shots from the middle of the bat, the nerves were calmed down. Once you start thinking about the team and focus on the task at hand, things work out. Having spent some time in the middle, I got back the confidence,” India’s ODI no.5 concluded.