India are all set to face Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 at Dubai Cricket Stadium on August 28th. While it is indeed important for all of the players, it is more so for the prolific batter KL Rahul. The Mangalore born has been out of the game since the Indian T20 League this year.
Captaining the newly formed team Lucknow in the Indian T20 League, the prolific batter sustained an injury that ruled him out of India’s multiple tours. Having returned to the national side, the 30-year-old did not have a good outing as he only scored one and 30 in two innings against Zimbabwe.
The right-hand batter now moves into the Asia Cup with the hopes of getting his form back. After playing with the new look Indian side, KL Rahul has been impressed with the new approach. He reckoned that the Indian team are now working on applying pressure on the bowlers.
Speaking to the press ahead of the India-Pakistan clash, the Lucknow captain said, “This new approach, we’d spoken about it much before when I was part of the team early on in the year as well and just after the [2021 T20] World Cup. Last season we had spoken about what we need to improve individually and how as a team we try to be more aggressive, put the bowlers under pressure by going out there and play with a lot of authority, freedom and aggression.”
Looking forward to the challenge: KL Rahul
“So I was there when that happened. Unfortunately, I have not been able to play too many T20Is since then, but we have played the Indian T20 League, and I played with the same approach, trying to see how with that same approach, I can be consistent and still contribute to the team. I haven’t played since the last two-three months, and that is a challenge for me, one I am looking forward to,” iterated Rahul.
While explaining further, KL Rahul said that the players are embracing the coach and captain’s requirements and laid emphasis on building a strong platform.
“It’s done really well for us, the new approach. What the team wanted and what the captain needed has been embraced by everybody, every player on the team, which is great to see, and that is the biggest step. That big step has already been taken and embraced by the players, so from now on, it’s only about building on it and getting stronger and by the time the World Cup comes, everyone knows exactly what to do,” added the Indian batter.
