Cricket
Cricket
How KL Rahul won the orange cap as best batsman of the league
The Indian opening batsman discusses his personal achievements, team results and favourite moments from the recently-concluded 2020 season in UAE.
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13 min
Off the field with KL Rahul and Kagiso Rabada
Orange cap winner KL Rahul and purple cap winner Kagiso Rabada chat about their recent achievements and the events of 2020.
KL Rahul ended the 2020 season by winning the orange cap as the best batsman of the tournament.
His 670 runs in 14 matches came with an average of 55 and a strike rate of 130.
To add to this, he also captained the Punjab side for the first time this season, and while they could not make it to the knockout rounds of the tournament, Rahul was able to guide them to five straight wins and ended within two points of a qualifying spot.
After the tournament, he spoke with Suhail Chandhok about how the events of 2020 impacted cricket, training through lockdown and bio bubbles, his achievements in the season, and much more.
How was the campaign for you? You got 670 runs but I know you would’ve loved to have your side go deeper in the contest.
Yeah, it was a good season. It was an interesting season, considering most of us came without much preparation and just being home for 6 months. We’ve had a tough time. Considering that, to score the number of runs and perform that way was pleasing, but again it’s always team. And you’d rather wear that cap with victory than to be 6th or 7th on the table. That was a bit frustrating. But yeah, it was a good learning experience and a good season overall.
How was it going from playing no competitive cricket for months straight into the toughest T20 competition in the world?
There are a million doubts in your head, and as a sportsman, you deal with it every day. But this was slightly different; you knew you were underprepared. You knew you were coming into this tournament with absolutely no cricket. And to add to those million doubts, it was my first season as a captain. There were a lot of things in my head, and a lot of question marks in my head. And before the tournament started, I was thinking, “I hope I don’t screw this year up.” I’ve had two good years in the league, and there were a lot of expectations from me. And as a leader, the expectations go up even higher.
It was a weird sort of season, but it was also interesting. Looking back at it, in terms of pure cricket, I think this was the best season of the league that has been played ever. In terms of the standard of cricket, the skills, the way the guys feel it, the speeds people like KG (Kagiso Rabada), [Anrich] Nortje, [Jasprit] Bumrah were clocking [it was the best season]. On TV it says 145-150 kmph, but it felt a lot quicker when you’re facing them. So I think the time off helped all of us just be fresh, more hungry to perform, just eager to be on the path, and also grateful that we get to play cricket. So I think that showed in everybody’s performance. Every team was really good. I know Mumbai won and Delhi was in the top 2 but we’ve seen through the tournament that the number 8 team has beaten the number 1 team. Everyone, on the day, could do the damage. That’s the beauty of the league and that’s why we all love to play it. That way it was just fabulous. Just being in the bio bubble was hard. All the things going against us, but still we managed to put out some brilliant performances on the field.
How easy or hard was it transitioning into a captain’s role for the first time? What did you enjoy the most of being captain?
Well it was new, different. I won’t say it was hard or easy because I was always looking to take on this responsibility. I always wanted to lead the team, so it was an exciting responsibility. And we had some really experienced coaches that have been around the game for a long time. Just to have their support during the first couple of games [was great].
The first three-four games as captain, I was thinking, “Can it get any easier at all?” Every match went to last-ball finishes. We just couldn’t manage to get over the line. So yeah, at times it was frustrating. As a leader or just a player, you want to win. Anyone who says it doesn’t really matter is lying. Everyone wants to win; nobody likes losing. So that kind of got a little bit frustrating. But as I said, it was a journey. That was the interesting and new part of leading. Otherwise, you’re just worried about your game and how you can help the team. [As captain] you have to make sure that the 15-20 guys around you are on the same level as you are. They have to be as happy or as motivated and that sort of becomes your responsibility. You have to make sure everybody is eager to play and hungry to win. I quite enjoyed it. The first few games was a new experience for me. It took me a few games to get the pattern. But it was fun.
How hard is it to come up against someone as good as Kagiso Rabada in a super over knowing you’ve got to look at every ball being hit out of the park?
I think that’s the toughest thing. (In the game against Delhi) I think I got out in the third or fourth over and [Nicholas] Pooran got out in the fifth or sixth over. We were sitting in the dressing room. We had changed and packed our bags to leave, and suddenly it’s a super over. So you get 10 minutes to change and get out into the field. And then you’re facing someone like KG, one of the best bowlers in international cricket. And you get only six balls, so you’re swinging from ball one. You don’t get any time at all. So it’s really difficult to go out there and do that. I don’t think anybody can practice for a super over. Not a bowler, not a batsman. It’s about executing and having luck go your way. Their team was warmed up and had been in the park for 20 overs. We were just coming in and have to set a target in six balls, which is actually quite difficult. So yeah, it was crazy. We had just come out and Mayank [Agarwal] hit the ball to the one guy on the rope, and then CJ (Chris Jordan) hit the ball as sweetly as he could and found KG’s hand; so it was a real roller coaster ride. And every game was like that for us. We got used to it later. We played two super overs in a game after that.
Take us through those two super overs, never before seen in the league. It was great that you won but how emotionally draining was that?
Oh! It felt like we played a five-day game in four hours; the kind of emotions that we went through. And after the game, we were drained, completely gone. If you said I have to get up and play another game tomorrow, it wouldn’t have been possible. Physical fatigue is one thing but mentally and emotionally when you go through that kind of a game, it just takes a lot out of you. But as you said, we won that game so we were still smiling after. We were a part of history but in a good way. So yeah, it wasn’t an easy season to start as captain. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
What is a moment that you feel super proud of when you think of this season? Obviously, a brilliant 100 from you has to be somewhere up there.
Personally, yes. But I think the games where we don’t really have a chance and finally manage to win [those are the proud moments]. I think the match against Hyderabad was one where we defended 127 odd runs; it was really special. We were in a position where we had to win every game, and a victory like that gave us a different kind of confidence in the dressing room. For a team like us that were last in the table, a victory like that was really very special. It changed the mind set of everyone. We started believing that we can still go on and qualify.
Talking about that run of five wins, how was the belief in the camp at that time? Where did that belief come from?
Honestly, I feel that we were quite unlucky in the first three-four games, and it’s not to blame anybody else. We just couldn’t get over the line and we didn’t win key moments. The discussion was still like we’re winning 35-36 overs out of the 40. We were just losing one-two key overs and that was costing us the game. So it was like, how do we just try to fix that and stay focused through the entire 40 overs? So we had that belief that we have been playing good cricket. And no team has just walked in and taken the win from us or embarrassed us or something. We knew that we needed to start with one win, aim for two, aim for three, and slowly we start believing that things can change for us. But that’s where it was important that we had a good support group with coaches and players who are all balanced in their head and not really looking at the points table. That’s what we tried to do – build an environment where, whether we win or lose, we’re balanced. What was unacceptable was not trying or not giving 100%. If you do that and still end up on the losing side, you feel bad. But you shake it off and accept that the other team had a good day as well, and they’re also here to win and they trained as hard as you have. So sometimes it’s okay for the other team to win. They might not beat you, but they might have won the game. So that’s how I looked at it, and that’s the only thing I kept telling the guys in the team. It was fortunate that we got five wins together, and that’ll help us in the next season for sure.
2 min
KL Rahul explains his tattoos
Indian opening batsman KL Rahul tells the stories behind some of the tattoos on his body.
What’s the most fun, exciting or bizarre way that you spent the day trying to kill time in the bio bubble in UAE?
I think it was more or less the same every day. When I’m not playing, I can get quite lazy and be doing absolutely nothing. So that’s what I did, staying in the room all day. Not leaving the room, room service for three meals a day and just lying in bed. It was surprising for me because I had thought I’d be glued to the iPad, laptop watching all the shows during this time. But, I hardly put on the iPad or hardly logged into Netflix. I just sat there all day and did nothing. I think that was the best part of being in a bubble. Otherwise, [during a regular season] you have friends and family calling you; they want to meet you and want passes to the game, or they want you to pose for a photo with some guy. But in UAE there was no distraction whatsoever, and I had all the time for yourself. I absolutely enjoyed it.
Has there been a shot of the tournament for you? Like one shot where you thought, “Wow! I hit that sweetly”.
Ya, I think that one I hit in Sharjah against Mohammed Siraj. I hit some decently big sixes in Dubai as well. But the ones in Sharjah felt really good. The one off Siraj, it was just there on the hip. I just hit it with minimum energy, minimum effort, and it went really far. Those are the ones I really love where I’m not slogging. I don’t spend too much. I’m sure that hurts the bowler as well. When you hit a good shot, they can say, “Okay, good shot”. But when you’re just like lazy and you pick it up for six they’re like, “Urrgggh!” I know that pisses them off.
Have the events of 2020 made you value your time in the middle more? How has it impacted you as a cricketer?
I’ve become a little more balanced in my thoughts and a lot more grateful that we still get to do what we love the most, cricket. The competition is always there and that sort of keeps us going, day in and day out. I know that as players we often say that we play a lot of cricket and need a little bit of a break. But now, I don’t think after not playing cricket for eight months anyone’s going to ask for a break. Also our career spans are quite short. So I guess we’re enjoying our time while our bodies are still functioning well and just being grateful. I think as players, this year has got all of us a lot closer as there wasn’t much to do. We couldn’t go out to meet our family and friends, so we were spending a lot of time together with the team. It just gave us a lot of time to understand the players on a deeper level. I think that also helped the level of the competition to go up because it was such a great understanding.
You now go on India’s tour of Australia as vice-captain of the white ball side. That must be a proud feeling. How satisfying is that?
It’s not satisfying but it is something that you feel proud about. It’s always what a player wants. I think if his journey and career graph is going the right way, I think that’s the natural progression all of us look forward to. It was something that made me smile a little bit and I gave myself a little pat on the back. I’ve been through some tough times, in and out of the team, and to be here today does make me proud. Not satisfied though as it’s a huge responsibility. I want to do my best for my team and my country. I can only be satisfied when I have a trophy in my cabinet.
8 min
KL Rahul - Shut Out The Noise
Shut Out The Noise is a documentary on how KL Rahul became one of the best batsmen in the world after his return to the India national team in early 2019.
What positives do you think you’ll be carrying from UAE across to Australia?
Obviously it’s a great country to play cricket in. It’s probably the most competitive place because the Australian people love the sport and they understand the game so well. They come at you hard; not just the players, the fans too. That’s something you enjoy when you tour Australia. The wickets are great. It’s competitive so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really not looking at past performances. Like you said, in UAE we got a lot of game time. Hopefully I’ll continue that confidence and take that momentum into international cricket and enjoy playing the game.
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