“Always That Temptation…”: KL Rahul Breaks Silence On Playing Ahead Of Rishabh Pant

India’s first-choice wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul admitted he feels the stress of Rishabh Pant respiration down his neck, whereas ready for his alternative. With a participant like Pant on the bench, Rahul admitted there may be all the time a “temptation” to play both him or the explosive southpaw. India head coach Gautam Gambhir and his regime’s resolution to want Rahul over Pant has left the fanbase and former cricketers with break up opinions. Some have welcomed the administration’s resolution to maintain Rahul within the ODI fold, whereas others have argued in favour of Pant, citing his affect within the limited-overs format.

Rahul broke the silence about enjoying forward of Pant and admitted the issue of efficiency stress. The skilled batter is not making an attempt to compete with Pant however desires to do one of the best and follow his recreation.

“There is – I won’t lie. I mean, he’s obviously a very, very talented player and he’s shown all of us what he can do, and how aggressive and how quickly he can change the game. So yes, there’s always the temptation for the team as well, whoever’s the captain, the coach to – there’s always that temptation to either play him or play me,” he mentioned in a press convention on Friday.

“There’s always that. But yeah, for me, I just if I’m given the opportunity, I try and see what I can do best. I am not trying to compete with Rishabh, or I am not trying to play like him, or when he gets his opportunities, I am sure he is not going to try to play like anybody else. He is picked on the basis of how he can play and what he can provide for the team, and the same applies to me. So, I try and do what I do best and try and stick to my game,” he added.

In the continuing Champions Trophy, Rahul has embraced his position as a wicketkeeper batter. In the Champions Trophy opener towards Bangladesh, he continued his red-hot type with a composed 41* from 47 deliveries, laced with a sole 4 and two towering maximums.