The background
The past couple of months have been terrible for Rahul. First, he was brutally trolled for his poor form in the overseas tour against Australia. Then things got even worse when he was caught in the controversial episode of Koffee with Karan.
Both Rahul and Pandya suspended from the Indian team for the New Zealand tour as their comments were deemed to be sexist and misogynistic. The ban was lifted later and Rahul joined India A team to play England Lions while Pandya joined the national team to play against New Zealand.
The details
India were defeated by Australia in both the T20Is, but one of the positives for them was Rahul’s return to form. Post the second T20 against Australia, where Rahul emerged as the top scorer for India in the series, he said, “It was a hard time no doubt. I mean, as a player, as a person, everyone has to go through difficult times and it was my time to go through that and I like I said it gave me time to reflect on my game, on myself. I have always been someone who takes things as it comes.”
“Got to spend a lot of time with Rahul Dravid, working on my game and chatting about cricket. He helped a lot in the five games I played for India A. The time I have spent in the middle has helped. It is nice to be back with the boys and back in blue,” Rahul added.
It wasn’t an insignificant setback for Rahul, as he had to miss the ODI series against New Zealand because of the controversy. When questioned about the episode he replied, “It has humbled me a little bit and you know, respect the opportunity that I have gotten to play for the country. The dream of every kid is to play for the country and I am no different. Just to value where I am, just to keep making opportunities count and put my head down and keep working on my cricket.”
What’s next?
After a forgettable Test series in Australia, Rahul has found some confidence and form in the recently concluded T20I series against the same team at home. He will be keen to board the flight for the World Cup, and will try to make the most out of the forthcoming ODI series against Australia.
A good performance in the ODI series will further strengthen his place in the team, considering he is already the front runner to be the backup opener.
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