Still have nightmares about World Cup semi-final loss, admits KL Rahul
India’s wicket-keeper batsman KL Rahul, who was an integral part of the team’s 2019 World Cup campaign, has revealed that many Indian players are still, to this date, haunted by the semi-final loss. The Men in Blue crashed out of the World Cup after an 18-run loss at the hands of the Kiwis.
Entering the semi-final having lost one game all tournament, India were strong favourites against an unpredictable Kiwi side and were touted to comfortably book a place in the final. Heavy rains meant that the contest had to be split into two days but after dominating the first day, India were left shell-shocked within the first three overs of their chase, losing their top-three batsmen for just five runs.
Eventually, a heroic effort from Ravindra Jadeja went in vain as the Men in Blue succumbed to be an 18-run defeat and unceremoniously crashed out of the World Cup. KL Rahul, who was one of the three top-order batsmen who was dismissed cheaply in the encounter, has now revealed how he still has nightmares about that particular day and also said that there are plenty of players who are still deeply hurt by the side’s stunning exit in the semi-final.
"It has to be the World Cup semifinal. I think most of us are still not over that loss, it is still haunts us sometimes. I can't imagine what the senior players must have felt but you know in a World Cup it just becomes even harder knowing that we played so well in the entire tournament. I still wake up to that nightmare sometimes,” Rahul said in a chat show, reported Times of India.Â
Rahul, who has been almost rejuvenated himself post the World Cup and has cemented his spot in the limited-overs side as the first-choice wicket-keeper, also revealed that he has been spending his time off the game productively and has been utilizing it to watch old footage and correct the technical flaws in his game.Â
"Let me talk about myself. I've just been sitting and doing some homework. I've been watching some videos from the past and taking notes of the things I was doing right and where I could improve.”
The 28-year-old was set to lead the Kings XI Punjab side after being named the captain earlier this year, but indefinite suspension of the tournament means that the Karnataka man will have to wait before he gets his hands on the coveted captaincy role.Â
