Team India is all set for its opening World Cup clash with South Africa. Though Virat Kohli’s team is considered one of the favourites for the tournament, thanks to its renowned batting lineup, the skipper categorically said that he is not willing to take the clash with the Proteas lightly. And among its concerns ahead of the match, a major one is the question about who would bat at No 4.
One of the contenders for the slot is KL Rahul. However, the batsman has conceded that it is not the most sought-after slot for him as he has usually performed top of the order. In the same breath, Rahul said that he had been working on the same for the last couple of years.
In an exclusive interview to ICC, Rahul said that though he was most comfortable as a top-order batsman, he did realise that with the likes of Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in the race for the position, it was more his concern to at least find a slot in the squad.
“I have always batted at the top of the order and that’s where I feel most comfortable. But with these three – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli – scoring the number of runs they have in the last four or five years, it’s just so hard to find a spot,” he said.
Rahul further said that the role to perform at No 4 slot was given to him a few years ago “and the support staff and the captain asked me to work on it”.
Seniors like skipper Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni emerged as a ready reckoner for Rahul in his quest. He consulted them to realise the changes he needed to make in his batting style to perform successfully in the middle order.
“For me it was important that I spoke to players like MS, like Virat, who bat in the middle order, and see what changes I’ll have to make with my game, or what is important to be successful in the middle order,” Rahul told ICC.
Rahul also pointed that he had batted at the position during Indian Premier League (IPL) and other matches.
