KL Rahul questioned the selectors who forget players' performances from recent tournaments while making selection calls
KL Rahul is one of the most curious cases in Indian cricket in terms of being shunted up and down the batting order, and in and out of the sides he has been a part of. He even took up wicket-keeping and turned himself into a really solid keeper for Team India as he began batting at number five for the ODI team regularly.
However, even after being stellar at number five for India, he was heavily criticised for playing an excruciatingly slow knock in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Questions were raised even when he was selected for the Champions Trophy in the UAE, but even there, he proved all his critics wrong by playing some clutch knocks down the order at six as India changed his batting position once again to accommodate Axar Patel at six.
Even after all that, Rahul has had to prove himself in front of the fans and experts alike multiple times. It’s something which has troubled him quite a bit, as he revealed after winning the semifinal against Australia in the Champions Trophy.
“Whenever I perform well in a series and then take a break from the ODI circuit, I always face questions upon my return after 4-5 months,” Rahul said back then.
“People wonder if I’ll even make the playing XI or where I’ll fit into the team. It makes me think at times, ‘What more can I do?’ But no matter where I’ve been asked to play, I’ve always given my best, and I believe I’ve executed my role to the best of my ability.”
Similar sentiments were invoked by him when Nasser Hussain questioned him about selection and doubts on his place in the side in an interview with Sky Sports. Rahul remarked that while he doesn’t mind proving himself multiple times, he finds it especially hard when decision makers don’t consider recent performances while making a judgment call on him.
“I don’t mind proving myself all the time,” Rahul admitted.
“That’s how any sport is – to always perform in every tournament. That’s the case with international cricketers anywhere in the world. But that’s not the hard part – it’s the people who make the decisions who seem to forget what the player has done in the recent tournament. It has been the challenge for me.
“The next ODI tournament might be after five months because it’s going to be a long English Test summer and you see people writing and commenting ‘we need to look for players who can play the 2027 World Cup or the World Cup after that.’
“But it’s not just a challenge for me but every cricketer goes through it. I got a bit emotional during the press conference (after the Champions Trophy semifinal) and said that,” Rahul added.
Notably, Rahul ended the 2025 IPL season with 539 runs at a strike rate of almost 150, and is gunning hard for a return to the Indian T20I side.
