After batting in the middle order in the first two games, KL Rahul was back to his preferred opening spot for India’s match against Pakistan in Manchester. Rahul eventually scored a steady 78-ball 57 in a 136-run opening stand with Rohit Sharma.
“For an opening batsman the first few overs are obviously the most difficult time because you don’t know what to expect from the wicket or you don’t know what the ball is going to do in the air and off of the seam,” Rahul said. “So the first few overs are obviously difficult but once we got through the first few overs then we felt a lot comfortable. For an opening batsman it’s important to hit a few balls in the middle of the bat, get a few boundaries going and then you start to focus on the game and all the pressure or the hype of India-Pakistan or World Cup stage everything just goes away from your head.
“We didn’t know what to expect from the wicket, because the wicket was under covers for the last few days. It was important that we saw (through) the first spell. Amir is a quality bowler. We knew we had to focus from ball 1 because he has done damage in the first over previously as well. It’s important that we were switched on from ball 1, which we were. We didn’t give too many chances in the first few overs. We just got used to the wicket, gave the bowlers and the ball the respect that it demanded. From there, we carried on.”
Rahul was happy to have got the chance after waiting behind Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan for a long time, and rated his performance ‘six on ten’.
“Obviously, Shikhar and Rohit have, in the last three or four years, they’ve been such a dangerous combo,” Rahul said. “Their partnerships have, if you see anywhere in the world, they’ve played so well for the country and they’ve been No.1 and 2, and they’ve owned those positions. So had to wait for my chance, and I’m just happy that I got to bat in the top three.
“It’s my first international game against Pakistan and it has come in a World Cup so I couldn’t ask for anything bigger or better and now an opportunity like this to go out there and perform for your country for your team just gives you immense confidence. As a kid or as a young cricketer growing up this is what you dream to do and I’m really happy that I got the opportunity and yeah I mean I give myself six out of 10 and hopefully I carry on the confidence and get better.”
