KL Rahul’s return to form has given India’s ODI World Cup title a huge boost. The wicketkeeper-batsman did very well for the team as he made his return in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 stage. However, there are still those who are concerned about the fitness of the wicketkeeper-batsman as he has not played many matches in the last six months. When asked about the question marks over his fitness, Rahul said the ‘question’ has already been answered.
Rahul led the Indian team in the absence of Rohit Sharma and did well as the team defeated Australia in the first ODI. Speaking about the leadership role, the Karnataka batsman said, “The team management has shown a lot of confidence in me in the last two years. They are giving me more and more responsibilities, which shows that they believe and have confidence in my abilities. It gives me a I have a lot of self-confidence and also like to take responsibility. It makes life and playing cricket a lot more fun.”
Some doubted Rahul’s ability to hit the ground running in the Asia Cup as it has been a while since he had played professional cricket. But he not only scored runs but also kept wickets for long intervals, which was a fine example of his fitness.
“Everyone saw me play in the Asia Cup, I played all the matches in the Super Fours. I stayed behind the wickets, batted and also scored runs, so I think that question has been answered for anyone who was worried about my fitness “Hopefully I’ll continue in the same vein with two big months ahead with the World Cup and the Australian series,” he told Jio Cinema.
“When asked about his physical preparation for a cricket match, the stand-in India skipper said, “I knew that when I come back into the side, I would have to keep wickets and bat… The physical challenges are a lot taller. compared to when I’m just hitting. I knew this, so I worked very hard on my fitness. As cricketers, we know the challenges we will face on the field and we try to replicate that during training and practice sessions,” he further said.
On his return, Rahul scored a century against Pakistan and remained not out on 58 runs off 63 against Australia in the first ODI.
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