Cricket
Cricket
Check out KL Rahul’s live interview on The Mind Behind
The Indian opening batsman participated in an interview live on Instagram as part of the series known as The Mind Behind.
KL Rahul is one of India’s shining cricketing stars at the moment.
The opening batsman is a sure shot for selection every time the Indian men’s cricket team lines up for a tournament or series. Over the last year, he has formed a formidable opening partnership with Rohit Sharma, terrorizing opposition bowlers and scoring at will to assure the Indian team of success.
While the Indian team takes a breather during this off season period, KL Rahul has been focussed on keeping up his fitness with home workouts, watching a few new series on Netflix, and engaging with fans through different mediums.
Recently, he participated in an interview for The Mind Behind series – a set of interviews with athletes and artists on what inspires them and influences their thought process. Here is the full interview about KL Rahul’s mental approach to playing cricket, what he has learnt from past defeats, and how he prepares for different formats of the game.
KL Rahul
© Ali Bharmal
Everyone sees your workout videos when you are at home but what’s the mind-set like when you come into a break from regular cricket?
There’s not much you do physically at that time. It just becomes a great time for players or sportspersons in general to sit back and reflect on things that have happened. As for me, I’ve been sitting and doing some homework. I’ve been watching some videos from the past to see the things I was doing right and the areas I could improve on. I’ve been watching a lot of cricket and trying to improve mentally on the areas that I think I can improve. I scored a 100 in my last innings and I hope that when I get back I’ll be in the same form. But at the same time I hope it will be different with my mentality because I’m trying to keep myself as ready as possible. I try to re-create the match situations in my head, imagining what I would do if the World Cup or league is about to begin. And I will be captaining a team for the first time with Kings XI Punjab, so trying to do the homework on understanding my players. So I’ve been busy with all of that. Getting the leadership role is a good progression in my playing career. So I’m using the break to do whatever homework I can for it.
Your debut Test series was really difficult but you also got a maiden hundred in Sydney. Did that make you realize that you belonged to Test cricket?
I think that innings and series changed the way I looked at myself. I think the confidence that I got from bouncing back so quickly and at a big international stage like that was really good. The confidence made me realize that if I put my mind to it, I could achieve things that I hadn’t even imagined before. So it just changed who I was as a cricketer and the way I looked at sport in general. It’s still very fresh in my mind; more than the Sydney hundred, I think about the MCG innings and what I thought between those Test matches. It’s something at the back of my mind before every match that I go to play. I never want to feel like that again so I keep reminding myself about the reasons why I didn’t do well in my debut Test and what I did well in the next Test that helped me get a century.
Do you remember the night before your debut Test? Did you get a good night’s sleep or were the butterflies going crazy in your stomach?
Sleep, not at all, man. I remember that all five nights of that debut Test match, I didn’t sleep well. I think I slept an hour or two hours at most each night. It’s because you are so nervous and eager to get on the field. There are so many emotions going through you. The crowd didn’t make it easy either. That’s the beauty of sport when you travel, especially for a Test match in Australia. The people who aren’t even playing keep making it harder and harder for you with their home support. I feel having gone and played my first two test matches in a place considered the hardest in the world to play cricket, and having achieved what I wanted to with getting a hundred, I think I did well. I think I learnt a lot of lessons from there about how to keep calm and handle pressure, and doing it at such an early stage in my career has definitely benefitted me.
You picked up a hundred on your ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2016 – the first Indian to score an ODI hundred on debut. How special was that?
I didn’t know it [being the first Indian to score a debut ODI hundred] at the time. I came into that series with a lot of confidence because I did well in the league just before. But I had suffered injuries before the league and had been in and out of the Indian team. I think we had a settled senior opening pair that was doing well so coming back from injury, I had to wait for my chances. And that kept me on my toes. I had the fire in me that whenever I would get the chance, I will do well. And coming back from injuries, you want to keep performing as well and as consistent as you can. So I went into that Zimbabwe series with confidence and was hitting the ball well.
When I was at 70* I think I needed 30 runs for my hundred and the team needed 30 runs for the win. [Ambati] Rayudu was batting with me and he was also on for a 50. Being a younger player, I didn’t want to attempt to tell him to slow down so I can get my 100; it would have been a very weird conversation. So I didn’t bring it up and thought my century that day wouldn’t work out. But it was very nice of Rayudu because he came up to me and said, “This is possible. Try to get a hundred. If you get out it is fine. I’ll rotate and keep you on strike as much as I can.” So I took my chances and it came off. I am very thankful and keep telling Rayudu that when I meet him. He was a good partner to have in that debut ODI innings because he was an experienced player who had played cricket for a long time; he helped keep me calm and let me play my shots.
How do you channel the nervous energy of coming into a debut series and wanting to do well? How do you turn that nervousness into a good performance?
I don’t think that nervous energy ever leaves you. No matter how many games you play. I think it is always there when you go to represent your country. I think the more you play, the more you realize that you need to give yourself that extra bit of time when you get out in the middle. That little bit of time lets the nervous energy leave you and lets you get in control of the game. What I keep reminding myself each time I go onto the field is to play the game at my pace and not be rushed by the opposition. So I always take the time to gather my thoughts and remain calm as much as possible. So I try to spend the first five minutes when I go out onto the field to think through what I want to do – of course you have plans before about what you want to achieve in that match or innings – but I try to give myself a little time to get into the match situation. Slowly that nervous energy goes away and it gives you the confidence to do what your team needs you to do.
KL Rahul
© Ali Bharmal
Is the preparation the same going into T20, ODIs and Test matches? What are the team meetings like when going into a particular match?
In terms of skill preparation, I don’t think there’s anything we do differently; in terms of skills, we keep it the same across formats. But I think in terms of mental preparation, it changes across the formats. Where we are playing and who we are playing also matters and defines our preparations in team meetings. As players, we also sit down and discuss the strengths of the players we are going to be up against; for example, if we are playing South Africa, I know what strengths KG (Kagiso Rabada) has and how he is going to try to get me out. That’s what we would think when preparing for a Test match. But for a T20, we would think about how we can put the bowler under pressure and how we can score maximum runs off him. So this is the little homework we would do before to put some options in our minds for game time. In the match, we kind of hope that those mental preparations are right and our body will make the right call to pull it off.
We also try to train the mind when we practice through visualization. So if I’m in the nets and playing one of the bowlers, I will mentally picture him as an opposition player I’m going to face in an upcoming match. So that helps both your body and mind get into that position so you are ready for the match situation. I’ve also learnt that keeping things as simple as possible is the best way to go. So that’s about remaining in the present, and on the ground you just react to whatever is thrown at you. And that has worked for me sometimes as well. But I think it will always be a process and there is no cricketer who will know exactly what to do; that’s the fun of life and sport.
How do you put the noise away when you are in the middle and how do you get in the zone?
I think when I’m batting in the middle, after facing the first five-six balls, the noise automatically fades away. In that moment, I look at the scoreboard and talk to my batting partner, and my mind focusses on what I need to do for the team. I don’t know how to explain it but I feel like you can find silence even with 1 lakh fans screaming in the stadium. I think we are a huge country and people do have opinions so off the field there are certain times that it does get to you because we are human and it’s not the nicest thing to hear people say bad things about you. I’ve learnt to take it in a positive way because every time someone criticizes you, there is something you can learn. I think no one has anything against me so if they criticize me it is so I can be better and help the team more. So I’ve been trying to use comments about me as energy to train harder.
How does criticism of you affect your family and the people in your support system?
I think they are the ones it affects the most [when I’m criticized]. As players, when you see your family is getting hurt, that is when you start to be affected or you start to react. As players, we have learnt that it is white noise and doesn’t affect anything. The people who are talking about you are not the ones working for you, they aren’t doing anything for you, and they aren’t paying you. I know that at the end of the day, I will get what I deserve for the hard work I put into the game. So I’ve learnt how to shut that noise out but sometimes it is hard on the family. We expect them to understand that it is part of the game, and for the most part they do understand that. But sometimes it affects them and indirectly it affects us too. I don’t think it’s going to change but I’m hopeful the fans will realize that we are also people. We are the ones working hard, sometimes 8-10 hours in a day, staying away from family, and putting in the effort. I always tell people that before you criticize a player, just put yourself in his shoes and try to understand what he must be going through.
What is your current off-season routine like? What time do you go to sleep and what time do you wake up?
During the season we have to wake up early for training. But right now I don’t set an alarm and allow myself to wake up whenever I do. I try to get 10-11 hours of sleep each day. I don’t have to try too hard to sleep though. When you are playing, sometimes you have to force yourself to sleep because you know you need eight-nine hours of sleep for your body to get enough rest and perform well. But an off season like now, we don’t have to get a certain number of hours of sleep so sometimes I sleep at midnight, sometimes I sleep at 1am. For a while I did feel like I’m a sportsperson so I should maintain a strict routine. But then I figured it is okay to not follow the routine right now because I should just switch off and not be too controlling of myself.
KL Rahul’s batting position has been a topic of conversation for a while. What is your favourite batting position?
I grew up being an opening batsman so that’s the place I’m most comfortable and I know what exactly I have to do. But I’m also a person who needs a challenge and having to bat at different positions is a good challenge for me. So I’m enjoying that challenge. I’m in a place where I just want to win games for my team and country so my batting position doesn’t matter.
If you could change the result of any cricket match in the past, which match would it be?
The 2019 World Cup semi-final [which India lost to New Zealand]. It was very, very gut-wrenching. I think most of us are still not over that loss. It still haunts us sometimes. For me, it was my first World Cup. But I can imagine for the senior players who have played many World Cups, it would be hard for them also because a loss is never easy to swallow. I still wake up with the nightmares of that catch behind (KL Rahul’s dismissal). Knowing that we played so well in that tournament also makes it hurt more. We were very confident that we were going to win the tournament. The mood in the team was always about what we would do after winning the World Cup. So that loss was very shattering for us. But it will keep us motivated for the World Cup tournaments we will play in future.
2 min
KL Rahul explains his tattoos
Indian opening batsman KL Rahul tells the stories behind some of the tattoos on his body.
You are now leading the side at Kings XI Punjab. How much are looking forward to going into that challenge as captain?
It is the progression every cricketer wants to go through from being a number 3 or 4 player to the number 1 in the side and the leader. To take up that responsibility and lead players, that’s something I’m looking forward to. So I’m sitting at home and doing homework for that. We also have Anil Kumble, who has been someone us Karnataka boys have looked up to for a long time alongside Rahul Dravid. They used to come to our net sessions and push us. One thing with Anil Kumble is that I’ve always had a very real and honest relationship with him. If he felt something was wrong, he would come up to me and tell me honestly what he thought. That helped me a lot. Even when he was coach, he would have conversations with me and told me about the things I really need to work on. So having someone like him, who has so much experience and done so much for the country, will really make it easier for me when I don’t have the answers and need help. As captain, I’m sure I will be in that position and will have him to look up to for support and guidance. Also having really experienced players will help a lot; to have Chris [Gayle] and Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] in the team will be helpful. It’s an exciting group of players and I’m looking forward to working with them to get the best for the Kings XI Punjab team.
You also spent quite a bit of time with Royal Challengers Bangalore. How much did that phase shape you as a player?
I think it was the biggest gift that I got, or any young player could have asked for. I was 21 when I first walked into the RCB dressing room. I hadn’t played for the country but I was doing well in first class cricket. I was obviously dreaming of playing for the country and also playing in the league. To walk into that dressing room with Virat [Kohli], AB [de Villiers], Chris [Gayle], Zaheer Khan was amazing. There were so many great players in that dressing room and so many legends of the game. Just to be around them and see how they prepare was great. I think the first year, I was too shy to walk up to them and talk to them, which is normal for any youngster. I think you grow up watching them and then see them sitting next to you, sometimes the words don’t come out of your mouth. I did have opportunities to chat with Virat and AB a few times. I got to open with Chris and spoke with him in the middle more than anywhere else. I think the biggest lesson was to see that these great players are also doing the same things I was doing. They keep it simple and don’t complicate things. I think AB told me something in my first year that has stuck with me. He said, “Cricket is a very simple game. The more simple you keep it, the more the game will give you back.” Those are such great words that made so much sense. I think we tend to complicate things for ourselves in the sport and that’s how we might end up in miserable places. So as a youngster, to be there and learn from these players, that was golden for me. The things I learnt from then are things I still treasure. I sometimes go back and talk to these guys about sport, which I can do a little more freely now. They are great ambassadors of the game and great human beings so spending time with them was great.
Give me three reasons why being an opening batsman is the coolest thing in the world and three reasons why it is the worst job on the planet.
Number one is that as an opener, you set the pace of the game. That is so thrilling and exciting, especially as a youngster. You don’t know what the pitch is going to be like. You just go into the middle and if you get off to a good start, you set your team up for victory. If it is an ODI or T20, you get to bat the entire innings. One more thing – which is good and bad – is that you face a hard ball and fresh bowlers. If you get off to a start, you know you can mentally dent the opposition, and that gives you such a great feeling to know you can dominate the match and put the bowlers down. It’s also a bad thing to face a new ball; you might sometimes get an unplayable ball and it might just get you out. Sometimes as an opener, you face the swinging balls for the first 10 overs, and you might get out in the ninth over on a seamer, but for the next 80-90 overs the ball doesn’t swing at all; that’s a horrible thing. Your teammates lower down the order take advantage of that and everyone on the scoreboard might have centuries while you as an opener had an early dismissal. So that is really frustrating. Another point is as an opener you don’t get a good break when you bat second. You finish fielding and have to run into the dressing room to change and get into the middle quickly. You don’t get a breather so a lot of times when you are an opener and your team is batting second, your legs and mind could be tired from fielding; so to pick yourself up from that is really hard. Another point is in Test matches when you have to bat out the day; to pad up just for two-three overs as the opening batsman, I really don’t like that. I don’t think any opening batsman likes that.
If someone had to bat to save your life, who is the player you would pick?
I would bat for myself honestly, because I would value my life the most. But I’ll go with Virat [Kohli]. Everyone knows he is a great player, but we share a great friendship also so I know he will give it his all to save me.
