NEW DELHI: KL Rahul's approach to making a comeback to the Indian T20 team is pragmatic and situation-dependent. His statement, "Depends on where I stand and what I need to do," reflects a mindset focused on adaptability and self-awareness.
Rahul, who has not been selected in India's T20 World Cup squad, understands that his return to the team is not just about his desire to play but also about being in the right form and fulfilling the team's requirements.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rahul shared his views after his team handed Mumbai Indians a disappointing 18-run defeat in Mumbai on Friday.
The defeat also confirmed Mumbai Indians' last-place finish for the second time in the last three editions, with 2022 iteration being the first.
Rahul summed up the LSG's IPL 2024 season as disappointing after leading the team to seven wins and as many losses to finish sixth with 14 points in the standings.
"Very disappointing. At the start of the season, I felt we had a very strong season and most bases were covered. Couple of injuries happen to every season and team but the guys who went away dented us a little bit. We didn't play well enough collectively and couldn't come together as much as we wanted to. Today was the kind of game we wanted to play more when the bowlers and batters both came together. Really happy for them (the youngsters), we spent a lot of time and energy with the squad, the support staff and we had sent Mayank and Yudhvir to South Africa to train with Morkel. They got good facilities to train with," Rahul said after the match
"(Will he continue to open in T20s?) Maybe, maybe not, there's not much T20 cricket coming up [for me] now. It depends on where I stand and what I need to do to get back in the team, I'll think about what the team needs. (Was Pooran batting too low down the order?) Not really, we'd have ideally wanted him to bat higher but how the teams line up is how the international players slot to absorb the pressure. Once Stoinis was at No. 3, we couldn't have had Pooran after him to have them bat in the 8th or 9th over together," Rahul added.
