The competition for places in the Indian team is as fierce as ever. Younger players have kept coming in, while several others are knocking on the doors of the Indian team through superlative performances in domestic cricket. KL Rahul, who is widely considered as one of the finest talents in Indian cricket at present, is no longer a mainstay in the Test and T20I teams and is also facing fierce competition for his spot in the Indian ODI team.
Rahul, who took over the wicket-keeper’s role in the Indian team after Pant’s drop in form, continues to hold on to the spot despite the southpaw’s impressive performances over the last few months. When asked about the duel for wicket-keeper’s spot in the 50-over format, Rahul admitted that the competition inside the Indian team is extremely high.
“When you are part of this Indian team, you always know competition would be really high. You can never sit back and feel comfortable like you own your position. That’s the good thing, our team has high talent, players will always come in. As a player in this team, you always try to push yourself and try to get better with each passing day,” Rahul said.
Rahul, who opens in the shortest format, was dropped from India’s squad for the 5th T20I against England after failing to impress in the first four matches. Yet, the team management put faith in him at the No. 5 spot for the 1st ODI and he delivered the goods by scoring 62 runs off 43 deliveries.
At the press conference, Rahul also admitted that the No. 5 spot in the ODI team allowed him the time and space to rediscover form having struggled to do so as an opener in the T20I side.
“Like I said, the ODI format, playing at number five, I could take a little more time than I did maybe in T20s. Having spent a little time in the middle, having played a couple of good shots, the footwork got better,” he said.
