'Was Getting A Lot Of Criticism' - KL Rahul Recalls 'Painful' Phase

image-lniwdr8kKL Rahul scored a brilliant 97 vs Australia [Twitter]

Happy days are back for KL Rahul with a terrific hundred against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and an exceptional knock of 97 not out versus Australia in the opening game of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Chennai on Sunday (October 8). 

However, the elegant right-hander is wary of letting his spectacular form lead to any complacency, aware of how temporary success can be with his career acting as a prime example of how knives tend to sharpen the moment a cricketer falters. 

Rahul recalls a "painful" phase of his career to assert this mindset as he faced the wrath of media and fans during a poor patch with the bat and was then sidelined with a hamstring injury picked up during IPL 2023 for painstaking six months heading into the 2023 World Cup. 

The 31-year-old found himself out of reckoning in Tests and T20Is since earlier this year and had to regain prime fitness for the 50-over spectacle despite undergoing surgery or risk being left behind in the race for middle-order spots in the only format he is currently deemed selectable for India. 


'I Had To Go Through Lot Of Pain' - KL Rahul 

Speaking to Star Sports after his magnificent knock in the Chennai classic against Australia in India's World Cup opener, Rahul unveiled the pain and ecstasy he experienced during a career-threatening injury exile while reading nasty comments about him and his personal life on social media.

The Karnataka cricketer was brutally trolled for his failures at the men's T20 World Cup in Australia last year and continued to face the worst of abuse from social media when he was dropped midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in March before hurting his quadriceps while captaining the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). 

"There was a time when I was getting a lot of criticism & lot of trolls inspite giving decent performances so that was very painful & then I got injured in IPL - came to know I need 5-6 months to recover so I go through a lot of pain during the phase," Rahul said. 

All the pain felt during that phase would've mentally toughened up Rahul and strengthened his resolve to make a strong comeback. The cricketer once again relished the role clarity and assurance provided to him by the Indian team management in One-Day Internationals and helped the nation ace a tricky run-chase against the Australians.