While waiting for his chance, KL Rahul, India’s first-choice wicketkeeper batter, confessed he is under the pressure of Rishabh Pant approaching from his back. Rahul confessed there is always a “temptation” to start Pant or the powerful south handed from the bench. The Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and his administration’s choice to favor Rahul over Pant have split the former cricketers and supporters. While some have praised the management’s decision to keep Rahul in the ODI kit, others have supported Pant based on his influence in the one-day format.
Rahul broke the quiet on playing before Pant and confessed performance pressure being a factor. The seasoned batter is not seeking to rival Pant but rather to perform the best they can and stay with their style.
“There is—I will not lie. I mean, he clearly a quite skilled player and he has revealed us all really how quickly and aggressively he can change the game. So yes, there&’s always the temptation for the team as well, whoever&’s the captain, the coach to – there&’s always that temptation to either play him or play me,” he said in a press conference on Friday.
“Always there is that.” For me, though, I just try to see what I can do best if I am given the chance. I am not trying to best Rishabh or imitate him or when he has his chances, surely he is not going to try to imitate someone else. I am judged on my ability to play and what I can offer the team; he is too. So I try to do my best and keep to my game,” he added.
Rahul is beginning to accept his role as a wicketkeeper batter in the current Champions Trophy. He kept his red-hot form in the Champions Trophy opening off against Bangladesh with a serene 41* from 47 balls including just one four and two huge maximums.