DB News Exclusive: KL Rahul on his Injuries, Criticism & Retirement
In a deep and honest conversation on The Switch, KL Rahul chats with Kevin Pietersen about his destiny, rejections, injuries, criticism, family life, mental fatigue and the difficult subject of retirement as an Indian cricketer.
‘The Switch’ is England legend Kevin Pietersen’s new YouTube channel, brought to you by Duelbits News.
Below is the actual conversation in their own words.
Kevin Pietersen: Where did it start for you? What got you into what you absolutely love now?
KL Rahul
I’ve been asked this question so many times and it’s just hard to find an answer because some things in life are just meant to be and you’re sent down with a purpose and I feel like my purpose was to play cricket. There are certain gifts that I had, picking the pace of the ball, line and length, some athletic abilities that pushed me towards cricket. And I was fairly good at it when I started it.
And then with the support and help of my parents and coaches and the states that I played for, I just ended up here. You’ve been to India over the last 20 years and you see how cricket is the biggest thing in our country.
Kevin Pietersen: Was it the glamour of the game or something deeper that made you fall in love with cricket?
KL Rahul
It wasn’t for the glamour and it wasn’t for how much people love cricket, that I fell in love with cricket. It’s just something that I picked up on. I remember my dad used to play a bit of cricket and every time we got together as a family, all the men in the family would get together and just play cricket.
They’d play two hours in the morning, take a break, have lunch, nap for a few hours and get back to playing cricket again in the evening.
One of the first few toys that my dad must’ve bought me was a plastic bat and he’d just keep throwing balls at me all day and I’d just keep smashing the ball. So it’s just something that I enjoyed. It just so happens that I was probably destined to play cricket and that’s the story.
Kevin Pietersen: Were you always seen as a standout talent at a young age?
KL Rahul
I started playing cricket at 11 and ever since then, me and Karun (Nair) and Mayank (Agarwal) were always the top three names from Karnataka and we were always the highest run getters and we had a bit of competition amongst each other and everyone thought that these three boys are gonna go on and do something really good with their careers.
Now talking to you, I can remember one instance where it sort of clicked for me or I went from seeing cricket as something that I do for fun to asking myself how badly do I want it.
There was an under-19 tour to Australia that I was supposed to be selected for. The papers wrote it and the selector said, be ready. And then when the team came out, I was not picked.
I was 17 years old at that time and it was heartbreaking for me and I remember that was the day something changed.
I was like, okay, I never want to be in a position where I feel like this and feel like I wasn’t good enough to be picked. So I said I will do whatever it takes to make it and work that much harder.
What did that rejection teach you?
I was like, okay, what do I need to do? Let’s say I’ve scored 500 runs and still not been picked so that clearly means I need to get 700 or 800 runs.
At that age, at 17, I felt like I needed to run a lot more, I needed to get fitter, I needed to eat right, I needed to stop going out at night with my friends and going and seeing movies or doing any of that stuff.
I said, okay, I’m gonna cut out all of that and just put as many hours as possible when the sun is up just on cricket and on getting fitter and fitter and fitter.
Is there more pressure marrying into a Bollywood family?
No, I don’t feel any pressure at all because I’ve married into a family that’s very similar in terms of how we think, our culture. So yeah, I don’t feel pressure of walking into a Bollywood family to say they’re far from that. They’re just very… incredibly down to earth.
My father-in-law loves cricket. He’s loved cricket all his life. He says he enjoys it a little less than now that he knows his son is playing cricket. So the pressure is too much.
So he’s not watching games. He’s just trying to follow the score, even if he’s shooting, someone has to keep telling him how much I’m batting on, what the score is. So yeah, there’s a bit of pressure on him.
My wife and I are just two regular real people who are trying to navigate the stresses and strains of being superstars. I don’t think I’m a superstar at all. Like, even when you say I’m, when people give me compliments about my cricket, I’m very uncomfortable.
Kevin Pietersen: What did the IPL expose you to at a young age?
KL Rahul
I think IPL really was the first time where I actually saw my heroes and people who had done wonderful things in international cricket.
I played with Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan, all of these guys in the RCB team. Though I didn’t get any games, I was just watching everything that they did on the field and off the field over the two months. I spoke to Virat about training, AB about skills, Chris about power hitting.
I was like a sponge for those two months and just took on everything. Then I went back and I was like, okay, this is what I need to do to go a couple of steps higher and play international cricket.
IPL’s a huge platform, a huge opportunity and yeah, I didn’t wanna miss it at all, so I did everything that I could, almost to a point where I was a pain in the ass for a lot of players, and we were at after parties and I’d be there talking only cricket.
Kevin Pietersen: How do you deal with criticism, especially from former players?
KL Rahul
In a positive way. I’m always okay with criticism when it comes from players who’ve played the game and who’ve been in those positions and seen the highs and lows.
You criticised my power play batting and my slow starts. It was all over Twitter and social media. I think you said it in the commentary.
I think the exact thing you said was, watching KL Rahul bat during the power play is the most boring thing.
And after power play, he’s still okay. If players are commenting, then there’s substance and weight to what you’re saying. Then I can sit back and think, okay.
Injuries have followed you through your career. How difficult has that been?
If I didn’t get injured as often as I did, probably things could have played out differently. That’s the hardest battle. It’s not the pain that the physio puts you through or the surgeon puts you through. It’s the mental battle where your mind just gives up.
Sometimes I felt like I’m making progress and getting to a place where I’m feeling comfortable with my batting, with my mindset, and this is the time, like this is when it’s going to click and I’m going to start scoring consistently in all three formats, boom, some injury, and I’m away from the game for a long period of time.
And then when I come back, I’m on the bench again and have to wait for my turn. And then when you’re thrown into playing a game at international level, you feel like everything is new, you feel out of place.
When it happens so many times, your mind is just like, I don’t think I’ve got this to come back again. That’s the hardest battle.
Has becoming a father changed the way you look at life and cricket?
Ever since I’ve had my first baby, the way you look at life is completely different.
I try and tell myself that I’m not that important. Cricket will carry on.
There are more important things in life.
Kevin Pietersen: How do you think about retirement as an Indian cricketer?
KL Rahul
If you’re honest with yourself, when it’s time, it’s time. There’s no point dragging it.
Obviously, I’m some time away from that. So I try to tell myself that I’m not that important.
Cricket in our country will carry on. Cricket in the world will carry on. There are more important things in life.
KL Rahul and Kevin Pietersen also did a fun activity where they testes illegal bats.
You can watch the full video on The Switch YouTube channel or click here.