IPL 2020 | I'm lucky because I share a great understanding with Anil Kumble, reveals KL Rahul

KL Rahul made his debut under Duncan Fletcher’s stewardship, prospered under Ravi Shastri before having some of the best time of his career under Anil Kumble. He managed to hit the balance once again under Shastri in the Indian colours but as the Indian Premier League season strikes the note once again, it has come as a great apogee for him to make his captaincy debut under the same person he knew all his cricketing life. And Rahul feels the respect he has from Anil Kumble will help him massively as he looks forward to leading Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2020.

"I'm lucky because we share a great understanding. We go a long way and he's seen me from my younger days. I've always looked up to Anil Bhai. He has led the country, has a wealth of experience and has played this format as well. His knowledge of the game will be of great help in my first year as captain. His guidance and experience will be valuable. It will help me make good decisions in the middle," Rahul told ToI.

Rahul, however, understands the challenges the players will face in the United Arab Emirates considering the tough weather conditions and the rustiness players might have developed in the last few months of no practice. So he is in all shape to focus on the things under his control and manage his players accordingly.

"As a leader, you will have to be mindful of the fact that a lot of players will be rusty. We will all be nervous because we are restarting the game with a major tournament without much action in recent times. So, it's important for a leader to make the players feel comfortable and let them know that it's okay to feel like that initially. That said, it will be a good learning experience for each one of us because we have a great set of coaches and support staff," he said.

"After running on concrete and treadmill for months, when you step onto the ground you feel like you're walking on a cloud. It's difficult to explain the feeling. I was half in tears, half smiling. In fact, I just couldn't stop smiling. Just to be able to get out and run on the ground felt so good."