KL Rahul plays a shot during his 77 off 51 against CSK at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 5, 2025. Photo: AP
KL Rahul is happy to play a blistering knock of 77 runs off 51 balls against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Saturday. He batted at a strike rate of over 150.
He has played two matches so far this season. In his first match, he scored 15 off 5 balls. Rahul attributed the change in his batting approach to his work with India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who is working with Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025.
"I am back to enjoying my cricket. I am not thinking too much about the game, not thinking about taking it deep or none of that stuff. Just see [the] ball and try and be aggressive and put the pressure on the bowler and the opposition and just enjoy hitting boundaries," Rahul said in a chat with DC team mentor Kevin Pietersen on iplt20.com after DC's win over CSK.
'Big Shoutout To Abhishek Nayar'
"I've worked really hard on my white-ball game the last year or so. Big shoutout to Abhishek Nayar. I've worked a lot with him ever since he's come into the Indian team," he added.
"We've spent hours and hours together talking about my white-ball game and how I can be better. We worked hours and hours together in Bombay and somewhere I have found the fun playing white-ball cricket," he added.
Rahul received flak for being a slow striker of the ball. Even though he was not really out of form, scoring between 520 and 670 runs in every season barring 2023, his strike rate was not impressive. He batted at a strike rate of 129.34 (2020) and 113.22 (2023). But now, after a disastrous season with Lucknow Super Giants in 2024 as the franchise’s skipper, Rahul seems to be free from added pressure and is enjoying his game.
His newly found mantra for batting was on display during India’s Champions Trophy-winning campaign in Dubai. Operating as a designated wicketkeeper and finisher, Rahul played three unbeaten knocks out of the four times he went on to bat, scoring 140 at a strike rate of 97.90. He hit five fours and five sixes during his four outings.
In IPL 2025, he has already hit eight boundaries and four maximums, showing the potential to do much better this season.
Referring to his not-so-impressive strike rate in the last few seasons, Rahul said, "I think somewhere along the way I lost that fun of hitting boundaries and hitting sixes. I wanted to take the game deep, deep, deep and that somehow stuck in my head."
He even faced criticism for saying "strike rate is very, very overrated." "But now I have realised I need to go back… cricket's changed, and T20 cricket, especially, is only about hitting boundaries. The team that hits more boundaries and sixes ends up winning the game," said Rahul.
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