In a recent interview, India batter KL Rahul expressed how challenging it was for him to adapt to different formats, and yet being asked to prove himself in every format in almost every game. The star batter claimed he would not mind proving himself all the time though.
The Delhi Capitals batter understood that sport needs a player to step up in almost every match, and added that it holds true for everyone. However, he felt that the hard part was to convince the selectors to not forget how they performed in their most recent tournament.
“I don’t mind proving myself all the time. 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 a challenge for me,” Rahul said in an interview to Sky Sports.
The comment was a reference to his statement in the post-match conference after winning the Champions Trophy 2025 for India, where he claimed that his spot in a format gets questioned every time he plays. Rahul wondered what more he could do and added that the best he could do was to give his best to the team in the role assigned to him.
“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. 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,” Rahul had said in the post-match press conference.
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Meanwhile, he continued in the recent interview highlighting the fact that India’s next assignment in ODIs would be about five months from May. He felt it was challenging not just for him, but for every batter to adapt to a different format after a long time. Rahul agreed that he got emotional while speaking in the post-match conference after winning the CT 2025.
“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.
