KL Rahul : I did not expect that much seam movement in South Africa

KL Rahul : I did not expect that much seam movement in South Africa

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BCCI

KL Rahul has expressed his disappointment over his poor form in the South Africa tour and has claimed that he didn’t expect that much bounce and pace on the Rainbow Nation's soil. The Indian player is determined to deliver for the Kings XI Punjab in the upcoming IPL as a sole wicketkeeper.

Team India’s 2-1 loss in the three-match Test series against South Africa stemmed from the repeated failures of Indian batsmen, who hardly showed resilience in the face of South Africa's pace attack. Barring Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, and to some extent Bhuvenshwar Kumar, no other batsmen looked lethal.

While 25-year-old Rahul was benched in the first Test, he got to play the next Two Tests in Centurion and Johannesburg, where he managed 10, 4, 0, and 16 runs in his four innings. After being excluded from the six-match ODI series, the right-handed batsman will now join the team for the upcoming three T20 games. After failing his first Test series in South Africa, the opening batsman has claimed that he was surprised by the movement on SA tracks.

“South Africa was a whole new challenge. We expected pace and bounce, but I did not expect that much seam movement. It was surprising. The movement, coupled with pace and bounce, is a deadly combination. You don’t want to be an opening batsman in such conditions (laughs). But, overall, it was a good learning experience,” Rahul said, as reported by The Hindu.

However, Vijay didn’t decide to take rest during the span of the six-ODI series. He returned to India to utilize the break in playing the domestic one-day Vijay Hazare Trophy matches in Bengaluru. In the first two games for Karnataka, he scored 3 and 22 runs and the third game against Haryana was called off due to the wet outfield. He stated that ODI games will help him in transforming from the longest format of the game to the upcoming 20-overs format.

“I would have liked to spend more time in the middle here, in order to make the adjustments to the shorter format. I hope to bat tomorrow (against Punjab),” Rahul said.

Ahead of the Indian Premier League season, the player was picked by Kings XI Punjab in the mega-auction when they bid INR 11 crore for him. The Punjab franchise has taken a big risk by including only one wicket-keeper to their squad but Rahul opined that he is ready to deliver with both bat and gloves.

“I like the responsibility, and to be in a position where a team expects a lot from me. Kings XI Punjab has me as the sole wicketkeeper; they don’t need anyone else. That is how the franchise feels, and that’s how I feel, too,” he said.

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