‘Murali Vijay did this for me’: KL Rahul starts guiding Yashasvi Jaiswal during record stand | Video

Last updated:Nov 25, 2024 10:46 IST

Rahul reflected on his emotions during his century in Sydney, in 2015, and shared some of the advice with Jaiswal during their 200-run stand.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (L) is hugged by teammate KL Rahul (R) after completing his century on Day 3 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia. (AP photo)

After the record-breaking 200-run partnership to help India set the tone, KL Rahul revealed how he took inspiration from his former opening batsman to play the leading role and help Yashasvi Jaiswal get his second in the second innings against Australia in Perth in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener.

In 2015, a young Rahul burst onto the scene by demonstrating his mettle at the top of the order when he scored 110 against Australia in Sydney. In a video uploaded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on their official Instagram account, Rahul explained how he saw shadows of his younger self in Jaiswal and how his then opening partner, Murali Vijay, helped him back then . .

“In a strange way, I felt like I could see myself in Yashasvi. When I asked to open the bat ten years ago, I knew exactly what he was feeling as I looked at him and my heart raced. And there are so many thoughts in your head and so many doubts, so many things. I felt that and Murali Vijay did this for me when I played my second match and this was yesterday, my second knock here in Australia. So it’s just something you do as an opening partner and you owe that to your teammate,” Rahul explains.

The batsman from Karnataka has been part of the Indian team across all formats and has seen himself pushed up and down the batting order as per the team’s requirements, a responsibility he did not shy away from as long as he was allowed to play .

“The best place for me to play is in the 11. I hate sitting out and missing cricket matches. I had some time, I worked, worked hard on my batting and I worked with Abhishek Nair for hours during those two matches against New Zealand that I didn’t play. When you’re not playing, it’s hard to stay motivated. But I think Abhishek also deserves a lot of credit. He encouraged me,” said Rahul.

The work behind the scenes clearly paid off as the two put together a 200-run partnership, with Jaiswal scoring 161 while Rahul scored a gritty 77 to set the foundation for a mammoth target.

India’s bowling attack has also upped their game and have taken five wickets so far and look favorites to take the win and the lead in the five-match series.

Location:

Perth, Australia