Kolkata: Team India’s opening batsman, KL Rahul who missed a double-century by just one run in the final Test against England in Chennai, feels that one shouldn’t read too much into the team experimenting with the opening combination. In an interview with India Today, Rahul says, “The team is winning. We are the no.1 Test team. We haven’t lost a test in a long time. So we are not complaining. It’s a worry that the players are getting injured, but it’s up to us to take care of our bodies. And make sure we don’t have to let somebody else have to do the job you have to do. But you can’t keep away from injury sometimes.”
And the Karnataka batsman attributes the team’s success to the ambience in the dressing room. “It’s good that there are opportunities and the best guy for the job gets to do it. The friendship and camaraderie in the team is excellent. We have never looked at each other as competition and looked as friends who are there to do the same job as you. We enjoy each other’s success,” he tells the magazine.
Looking back at his 199, Rahul says he is happy that the innings helped his team’s cause. “I am happy that the 199 helped the team in registering one of the best victories we have had in the last 14 months. There was not a lot in the wicket. We were thinking runs for all four days. We wanted to win but did not know how we would do it. We wanted to fight it out. That’s the thing about this team. I can say the Chennai win is right at top of the list,” Rahul who got out cheaply in the first innings of his state Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy tie against Tamil Nadu, adds.
And, he only has good things to say about his skipper, Virat Kohli (who leads him in the IPL too), elaborating that it’s been a learning process for him playing under Kohli. “He has been someone who may have got a double hundred and next day will come with the same intensity. That’s the kind of leader he is. The kind of runs he has got, the way he leads has been phenomenal. We have a lot to learn from him. We are happy to share dressing room with such a great player. He has been around for so many years but still has a lot of cricket let in him. One can only imagine him beating and setting records that don’t think can be beaten,” says Rahul.
