KL Rahul opens up on questions regarding his place in ODI squad, credits Rohit Sharma for backing him

India’s wicket-keeper bat KL Rahul has been like a silent warrior in India’s ODI team. When the team’s think tank asks him to take the gloves, he says yes. The management demotes him from number five to number six, he says okay, no problem. 

Rahul has done whatever has been asked of him by captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir. The flamboyant batter scored an impressive unbeaten knock of 42 runs off 34 balls in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy against Australia at Dubai on Tuesday in the run-chase of 265. 

Rahul batted at number six but added a crucial alliance of 47 runs with Virat Kohli. The wicket-keeper bat admitted he is always under scrutiny for his place in the ODI team but said Rohit Sharma has put his weight behind him.

KL Rahul said on Star Sports after the win, “Honestly, I mean it’s since I think 2020 I’ve batted at No.5 and a lot of times people forget that that’s where I’ve been batting. And every time I perform in a series and then there’s a break from ODI series, ODI cricket and then we come back after four or five months there’s a question mark again about ‘oh well will he play in the XI, where does he fit’ and sometimes I’m sitting there thinking what more can I do.

“Everywhere that I’ve been asked to play I’ve played and I feel like I have performed my role. Whatever’s been told to me by Rohit [Sharma], Rohit’s been the captain for the last four-five years. And whatever he’s told me I feel like I’ve done that to the best of my ability. And I know that Rohit feels the same and he’s always supported me and backed me with that,” the 32-year-old added.

Rahul was disappointed after Virat Kohli was dismissed after scoring a match-winning knock of 84 runs. The right-hander said he told Kohli to bat till the end and he would take the chances.

“When I walked in and when I played 10-12 balls I told him that you’re the batter that needs to go on and be there till the end. And let me try and hit or let me try and take one chance an over. Because like you said we only needed 6 runs and over. But 6 runs and over on that wicket seemed like 8-8.5. So, you had to take one chance and over, one boundary or one six.

“So, I told him that I will do that and why don’t you just rotate the strike and be there because you’re the set batter and it might be harder. If you get out another set, a new batter comes in but it becomes a lot harder. But yeah, he felt like it was in his range to hit and yeah he didn’t time it well,” Rahul added.

India will take on either New Zealand or South Africa in the final at Dubai on Sunday.