'I have a mental blueprint for ODI batting': KL Rahul
What's the story
Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has revealed that he has a mental blueprint for batting in different situations during ODIs. This strategy helped him score an unbeaten 129 runs against the West Indies in the third ODI on Saturday. The innings was his highest score in 50-over cricket, despite being overshadowed by West Indies captain Shai Hope's unbeaten 162-run knock.
Game plan
A look at Rahul's innings
Rahul, who didn't get a chance to bat in the first two ODIs, made full use of his opportunity in the final match.
He entered with India reeling at 160/4 after Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad had stabilized the innings.
The wicketkeeper-batter initially played a supporting role before accelerating toward the end of his innings.
Rahul reached his half-century off 41 balls and brought up his ninth ODI hundred off 80 deliveries with a fine shot over fine leg off Jayden Seales in the 49th over.
Preparation insights
Rahul opens up on his mental blueprint
Rahul emphasized the importance of thorough preparation for his batting approach in different scenarios.
"I am someone who sits down and thinks about how I want to play my cricket and how I want to bat in certain scenarios," he said in a BCCI video.
"And when I'm batting at number five, I won't say there's a fixed template, but there's a little bit of a blueprint in my head as to this is how I'm going to play in ODI cricket. And when it comes to the test, there's something that there's a game plan for. And that for me is most important," he added.
Switch
Rahul on his natural switch into match mode
Rahul also spoke about the natural switch into match mode when representing India.
"You know, when you play for India, when you're representing your country, and when you walk out trying to face up to that first ball, and there are so many people who have come to watch you and you're wearing the blues or you're wearing the white, you're representing your country, and you're wearing your colours. I don't think it takes too much time to switch on," he said.
Information
What about his preparation?
Rahul also spoke about his game plan and preparation. "So you, I think, as players, automatically switch on when you're in that moment. The things that I've really worked on are the things that I can control: my game plan and my preparation. And if I can tick those boxes, then I feel quite switched on," he added.
Milestone achievement
Over 10,000 international runs for Rahul
Rahul's knock also came on a personal milestone as he crossed 10,000 runs in international cricket. He became the latest Indian to achieve this feat.
"A handful of people in our country have been able to achieve 10,000 runs overall. So yeah, a very special moment for me, for my coaches, for my family," he said after the match.