"That was a tough time": India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul opens about his injury

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rahul said that he was sad that he couldn't finish the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season with the Lucknow-based franchise.

"Yes, I am a little sad about that, but the injury that I had, kept me out of the game for 4-5 months. That was a tough time. Whoever has an injury, if you ask anyone - they undergo surgery and to come back, it takes a lot of hard work, and a lot of patience and you have to go through that which is not very easy. In cricket, whatever ups and downs happen, sometimes you score 100, sometimes you don't, that success or failure you can handle but this painful time that is there, doing physio and coming back into cricket. That was tough," Rahul said.

While talking about the injury he suffered in Lucknow during the IPL 2023 season, Rahul said that when he came to the ground with the Indian squad, all his memories of falling down and injuring himself came again.

"I can't say that it is not in my mind. Yesterday when I came to the ground, my last memory of this ground was - falling down and injuring myself. Hopefully, I can put that aside and I can make some better and happier memories to forget all of that," he added.

Rahul, who also captains Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL, sustained an injury in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 1. Chasing a ball in the outfield in the second over, he clutched it at his thigh and then limped off the field.

However, the batter made a stunning comeback in the International circuit with a knock of 111 runs against arch-rival Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

When asked about India winning all five games chasing in the ongoing World Cup, Rahul stated that once 'Men in Blue' lost the toss and ended up bowling first.

He further added that toss is not something that the captain or the team can control.

"A little bit. I mean, not really gone too much into it. I know few, I think in one game we did lose a toss and ended up bowling first as well. So, tossing is not something that the captain or the team can control. So whatever opportunities we've gotten we've done well but again it will be a great it will be a good opportunity if we get to bat first before the next stage and in the next four games if we can get to bat first it'll be a good challenge for us to just see how to pace the innings and it's been some time since we've batted first, so it will be useful for the team," Rahul added.

While talking about his recovery session, he said that the difficult part would be wicket-keeping more than the batting. Rahul said that he has worked much harder on his fitness and wicketkeeping.

"During the process of getting fitter as well, I did focus a lot on wicketkeeping along with my batting. The medical team at the NCA felt like - with the kind of injury I had, the difficult part would be wicket-keeping more than the batting. The things that I've worked much harder on are my fitness and my wicketkeeping. Then came batting so it was in that order. So, I did work a lot on my wicket-keeping there and yeah, even when I've come back here, I've spent a lot of time wicket-keeping. I feel like that requires a bit more time and effort from my side," he added.

When asked about the team's confidence in the tournament, Rahul said that they have prepared well and that's what helping them in the ODI World Cup 2023.

"I think the players have gotten enough chances and enough time in their particular role. So, yeah, that again, I think goes down to preparation. We've prepared really well. So that's where the confidence is coming from," he added.

Talking about Lucknow's pitch, the wicketkeeper-batter said that every place has a different pitch.

"Every place has a different wicket. So, it varies. If you get a batting pitch, you have to put the runs on the board. To give the bowlers a chance, you have to put those extra runs on the board. So yeah, I can't comment much on this," he concluded.

After winning five matches at the ODI World Cup 2023, India stand in second place with 10 points and have a net run rate of +1.353.

The 'Men in Blue' are coming into their upcoming match against England on Sunday after beating New Zealand by four wickets. (ANI)