ICC World Cup 2019 | Looking forward to inspire billions of Indians, says KL Rahul
KL Rahul is a man on a mission and is hopeful that he will be able to inspire billions of Indians by assisting India to a third ICC World Cup trophy in the coming weeks. Rahul added that he is proud to be part of such a talented Indian team that includes MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The Indian cricket team are in the final week of preparation ahead of the start of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019, where they have been labelled as āfavoritesā alongside hostsā England. KL Rahul will be under the scanner during the World Cup campaign as he gears up for an intense few weeks with the national team under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
In a recent interview with AFP, the 27-year old batsman revealed that he has lots to prove on the international stage and hopes that he will be able to inspire billions of Indian by winning the World Cup which starts on May 30.
"When the game was over it was absolute chaos. The roads were blocked, everybody left their homes and was on the road celebrating," Rahul said on Friday as he recalled the aftermath of India's second World Cup triumph.
"It was an unbelievable experience to see so many people forgetting about their worries. Whatever they had going on in their lives, they were just so, so happy India had won the World Cup.It was even bigger because we won it at home in India -- it brought billions of people together and brought so much joy.
"I knew what a World Cup could do to the country, how big it is and how valuable it is to be part of a World Cup dream. To be here after eight years representing my country means the world to me. I'm looking forward to hopefully inspiring billions of people again and to win the World Cup would be the icing on the cake," Rahul said in the interview.
Rahul, who ended the 2019 season of the IPL as the second highest run-getter while playing for Kings XI Punjab, added that he feels privileged to play alongside the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma in the national team, that too in an important tournament like the World Cup.
"To be part of this team is incredible,ā Rahul said. "It's not just MS and Virat, there are so many other talented individuals -- Rohit (Sharma) and Shikhar (Dhawan) and Jasprit (Bumrah), who is the most feared bowler in world cricket right now.
"Hopefully the hard work we have put in over the past two or three years means we can go out there, enjoy ourselves and win the World Cup," Rahul added.