Moving from one end of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium to another is a tough ask. Such is its vast expanse that the players have to be dropped at the net practice zone by a vehicle if they wish to move there from the ground to hone their batting and bowling skills.
It was during one such visit when KL Rahul was reminded of how as Lucknow Super Giants captain the tendon on his thigh was ripped apart at this very venue during an IPL match in May. The resultant injury kept him out of cricket for more than five months and took a toll on him, both physically and mentally.
“I am trying to forget all of that, you are reminding me again and again,” Rahul recalled with an air of melancholy surrounding him at a news meet on Saturday.
“Yes, I am a little sad about that. That was a tough time. Whoever has an injury, if you ask anyone...undergoing surgery and to come back, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of patience and you have to go through that which is not very easy,” he said.
“In cricket, whatever ups and downs happen, sometimes you score 100, sometimes you don’t, that success or failure you can handle but this painful time... That was tough.
“Yesterday (Friday) when I came to the ground, last memory of this ground is that... falling down and injuring myself. Hopefully I can put that aside and I can make some better and happier memories to forget all of that,” he hoped.
It has been baptism by fire since his comeback. In Colombo, he was informed five minutes before the start that he would play against Pakistan replacing an injured Shreyas Iyer. Rahul responded with a century on return.
“I have put a lot of effort... I tried to keep the outside noise away for a long time... I thought it won’t affect me, but in the last year or so it started affecting me. I realised I will have to work on it.
“And when I got time, I tried to work on that side... mentally you got to get a lot more stronger, a lot more thick-skinned. So that really helped me being away from the game,” he said.
“Since my return, the environment has been such that everyone is enjoying cricket... We know that whenever we cross the boundary line, there will be pressure. But the best thing we can do outside the field is still try and enjoy ourselves and be as calm
as possible.”
Beware of Aus: Sourav
Eden Gardens: India have broken little sweat while winning all their five games so far in this World Cup. Yet, it’s too early to view Rohit Sharma and his teammates as the potential champions, feels Sourav Ganguly.
“Obviously, India, we all know, are a great side. But thinking of them as champions is a bit too far, I would say,” the former India captain and ex-president of the BCCI said.
“Let them make the semi-finals first. It’s still the league stage, which is a lot easier. Knockouts are a lot tougher.”
According to Sourav, Australia — fourth in the standings — appear the best-equipped side to challenge India at this stage although table-toppers South Africa aren’t too far behind either.
A Staff Reporter
