“There was a lot of criticism. People were commenting something or the other on every match or thing. I could not understand why it was coming and from where it was coming, because my performance was not that bad. It was a very painful period for me,” said KL.
Published Date – 09:25 PM, Mon – 9 October 23
Mumbai: Indian batter KL Rahul on Monday recalled the tough time he had with his injuries and social media trolling and how the motivation to win the ICC Cricket World Cup kept him in a positive frame of mind.
Though KL Rahul has had some impressive last few weeks with his 97* against Australia in World Cup opener on Sunday being one of his best knocks, this journey towards redemption was not easy for the batter as injuries and social media trolls threatened to affect his career.
In an interview with Star Sports, KL recalled that it was a painful period of his time when he was facing trolls after his disappointing performances in ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
“There was a lot of criticism. People were commenting something or the other on every match or thing. I could not understand why it was coming and from where it was coming, because my performance was not that bad. It was a very painful period for me,” said KL.
KL said when he got injured during the IPL this year and got to know that him playing the World Cuo would be uncertain as he would be out of action for four to five months, it was difficult for him. But in his mind, he was aware of all the process associated with the injuries.
“Then I got injured during the IPL. When I got to know that I would out of competitive cricket for 4-5 months and playing the WC was not a certainity, it was difficult for me. I have gone through a lot of injuries and surgeries during my career for India. I know the pain and process of coming back from it and how difficult it is. That all was in my mind and I was aware of the processs,” said KL.
“So I was positive. I had a motivation to come back before the home World Cup and be a part of the team. I had been preparing wicketkeeping keeping this tournament in mind. I used to tell myself every morning that I have to win this World Cup.” “This is what pushed me out of the bed and made me do all the boring work. So this tells you how special it is for me and for all. Playing a World Cup is a dream for me, for everyone. Playing a home World Cup is even more special,” he concluded.
