Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made waves as the main architects behind India’s journey to the ODI World Cup 2023 final. However, amidst the spotlight, KL Rahul emerged as the backbone of India’s batting throughout this prestigious tournament.
Rahul recently opened up about his remarkable comeback in the World Cup 2023 after a point where even walking seemed impossible for him. Rahul spoke about his recovery process on the Star Sports special show ‘Believe’.
“During all of this time, I knew there was pressure to come back and all of that, but I had such a bad event that happened in my life that everything else seemed like, okay, it doesn’t, really matter. Everything else seemed smaller compared to, tearing your quadriceps and going through surgery,” Rahul said on Star Sports.
Rahul revealed that he wasn’t able to walk for the first three to four weeks after his surgery and even the doctors said that it would take him at least five months to recover from the time of surgery.
“I couldn’t walk for the first three or four weeks. I was on the walker and, then slowly started building myself up during all that time. I don’t think it’s possible to make it in time for the World Cup. That’s what the surgeon told us as well. He said it will take five months from the time of surgery,” Rahul said.
“The surgery happened in May, so that meant I’d come back just in time for the World Cup, but also, I know how things work, right? You can’t just come straight back into the World Cup. The team wants you to play a few more games before that, just so that they get confidence, so that you get confidence. All of that time I was like, okay, I’m just going to take it as it comes. I can’t be stressed,” Rahul added.
Rahul made a stunning comeback after hitting rock bottom earlier this year. Rahul underwent a demanding recovery process since May after the hamstring injury that he sustained during IPL 2023. The injury resulted in his extended absence from cricketing action and the severity of his injury also required surgery on his right thigh.
Rahul’s road to recovery and rehabilitation was a tough one but the wicket-keeper staged a great comeback in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. He hit an unbeaten century against Pakistan and sealed the No. 5 spot for India for the World Cup. In the absence of key Indian players, Rahul also led the Indian team in 2 ODI matches against Australia and contributed with 2 crucial fifties. India won the series 2-1 in September.
In the very first match of the World Cup, ‘the crisis man’ as called by batting coach Vikram Rathour, he turned up when the team needed him the most. India found themselves reeling at 2 for 3. Rahul scored a brilliant 97-run knock to stitch up a 165-run partnership with Virat Kohli to help India secure a memorable win at M Chidambaram stadium.
Rahul also smashed the fastest hundred by an Indian in the World Cup with his 62-ball century against the Netherlands, showcasing his abilities to score runs at a quicker rate when the team requires.
Undertaking the wicket-keeper’s role, Rahul took 15 catches in the World Cup behind the stumps. With his exceptional performances this year, Rahul made his name synonymous with adaptability and skilfulness. India may not have had a fairytale ending to their remarkable World Cup campaign, but Rahul’s performance stood out as he scored 452 runs in 11 innings in the tournament.
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