Indian batsman KL Rahul has said the break he got after being suspended for his comments in a TV show helped him become a batter player for the team.
Rahul who made sexist comments on TV show Koffee with Karan was suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Rahul feels the period helped him change the way he approached the game.
“A lot of credit for my consistent performance goes to how differently I started thinking after 2019. With this suspension and with all that happened, I was tempted or I was in a way wanted to be selfish and play for myself, and I failed. So I told myself I need to go out and do what the team wants me to do,” Rahul told India Today.
“We all know our careers are not too long and I realised after 2019 that I probably have a good 12 or 11 years left in me and I need to dedicate all my time and energy towards becoming a player and team man,” he added.
Rahul has been impressive in the last few months. He scored 200 runs in the three-match ODI series in New Zealand and amassed 224 runs in the T20I series while playing as an opener.
His performances have helped him cement his place in the team and the team has also handed the responsibility of keeping wickets in limited-overs cricket to him.
“That mind shift really helped and took a lot of pressure off me when I started focusing on wanting to do better for the team and be a part of champion teams and make a difference in the game,” he said.
Read: He has a future, take care of him: When Dravid realised 13-year-old KL Rahul was star in making
Rahul revealed he has been hugely boosted by the backing from vice-captain Rohit Sharma, someone he has always looked up to.
“He is someone in the team who has given me the sense that he has a lot of faith in me and as a senior player, I have seen that he has backed me and stood by me on a lot of instances,” Rahul said.
“When senior players feel like there is a guy who can take responsibility, a player who has not played consistently for the country, it gives a lot of confidence,” he added.
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