The following podcast between KL Rahul and Ranveer Allahbadia was recorded previously as of 24th March’23 – before the current season of the Indian Premier League. This video was recorded in good faith, we do not wish to put any judgments for or against the current situation of the cricketer.
Introduction
KL Rahul is an Indian international cricketer who played for Karnataka at the domestic level and is the captain of Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League.
Usually, he plays as an opener in the Test and T20 formats of the game and plays in the middle order in the ODIs. Rahul has been a wicketkeeper for a few international matches, whereas he keeps the wicket more often at the domestic level.
I am a cricket fan, and I was looking forward to this conversation. There is a lot of narrative going around in the recent past, but true cricket fans know that he is a well-spoken cricketer.
In this episode of AJIO Presents The Ranveer Show episode with KL Rahul, they discussed the pressure of being a cricketer and growing up in front of the world. KL Rahul talked about the importance of staying humble, as taught by his parents. Hope you enjoy this one.
Lessons He Learned Growing Up
“Since a young age I knew I wanted to play for India. I believe that someone on top is looking out for me. To come from a small town and play for India is a big deal for me.”
“I grew up in front of the world. It is a fast phase world, and you are being judged constantly. No one says these things to you. You are lucky if you find a mentor who will guide you through this phase. I kind of lost my true personality while growing up.”
“Right now, for me, it’s about detaching and picking up a new hobby as I have realized I have nothing else to fall back on. Now I am aware of it. It’s tough. I always wanted to play for India, and I am glad to be doing that, but that is why I never picked up a new habit.”
Dressing Room
“The scene in the dressing room is chill. We play loud music. Because once you step out of the dressing room, the pressure hits you. At least in the dressing room, we want to stay relaxed and not make the game everything. The captain will have a certain zone, and he will come and strategize.”
Reacting To the trolls
“We are showered with love when we do well and have immense support when we fail. Trolling, hate, and negativity are just there. When there is so much love and support, it gives you a lot of strength.”
“For a long time, the hate and trolls didn’t affect me. But later on, I realized that it does. After a point, you can’t fight, so now I stay away from reading all the comments.”
“We do listen to comments when we are on the pitch and if it is coming from somewhere close to the boundary line, you can hear them. A lot of times comments piss me off. At times, they just want you to look at them and wave at them. But when the over is going on, we are supposed to focus, but people think we are not appreciative of them. But if we miss the catch, same people would say we aren’t focused.”
“I get conscious when cameras come out because the narrative can be anything but assumptions are made. But in the situation where I am comfortable, I am okay to talk about anything.”
Being A Captain
“Building relationship with the team members is difficult for me because I am quite reserved. I realized early on that a captain is as good as his team. If all the players are not on the same page, there is nothing I can do.”
About Dhoni
“MS. Dhoni was my first captain, so I have seen how he has handled the team and how calm he is. I have learned from him how to build a relationship with a team member. He knew how to get the best in a person because he knew everyone well. Virat was a leader for 6-7 years, and the aggression and passion that he brought in are phenomenal. We all wanted to be a better version of ourselves. Rohit is well prepared, so he is chilled.”
Thank You!