Team India batter KL Rahul (AFP Image)
KL Rahul said it’s unfair when someone says he is not serious about his work or not working hard enough to regain the form
Premier India batter KL Rahul opened up on social media trolling as he has been going through a lean patch with the form in the past year. Rahul, who was a mainstay in India’s all three formats a year back, has now lost his place in T20I set-up, Test Playing XI and also been removed as the ODI vice-captain. He was dropped from the T20I team after an underwhelming show in the T20 World Cup. While after playing the first two Tests against Australia in Border-Gavaskar trophy he was dropped from the last two matches despite being the vice-captain of the team.
His IPL 2023 season was also cut short due to a thigh injury, however, his performance also came under the scanner in the 9 matches he played. The LSG skipper scored 274 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 113.22. The 32-year-old has faced a lot of scrutiny on social media over his underwhelming form in recent times.
Rahul admitted that sometimes the social media trolling does affect him mentally and said sometimes people don’t think about what the player or athlete is going through during their tough times.
“That’s something that sometimes affects me and affects a lot of the other boys as well that when we athletes truly need support, people feel they can or have the power to comment or say what they want. Just see what that person is going through,” Rahul said on YouTube podcast BeerBiceps.
The flamboyant wicketkeeper batter further said there was no backup for him as he don’t know anything else apart from playing cricket.
“None of us wants to perform badly. This is our life. This is all we do. Like I said, I don’t know anything else apart from cricket. That’s the only thing I do,” he said.
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Rahul said it’s unfair when someone says he is not serious about his work or not working hard enough to regain the form and suggested sometimes results don’t go your way no matter how much hard work you put into it.
“Why would anyone assume that I am not serious about my game or that I am not working hard enough? And unfortunately in sports, there is no connection. Like I said you can work hard, like I work hard but the result didn’t go my way,” he added.
