KL Rahul on Monday said the 2-2 Test series draw against England “will rank right at the top” among the biggest moments of Indian cricket as it was pulled off by a team that “wasn’t given a chance” in the absence of giants like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Rahul emerged as one of India’s most prominent performers with 532 runs across the five Tests. Speaking after the dramatic finish at The Oval, Rahul, now a senior figure in the squad, admitted that the absence of India’s seasoned campaigners was deeply felt.
“Once I joined the team, it hit me (Not having the senior players around). To look around and not see them (Rohit, Virat and Ashwin) felt a bit weird. Everyone came to me and asked me about conditions, and that is when it hit me that okay, I have stepped into a different role to help the younger guys and use all the experience and really put my hand up and stand up for this team,” he said.
Praising India’s newly-minted captain, Shubman Gill, Rahul said,” Shubman has been phenomenal. He has really led from the front. Has worked really hard with the boys. He has been tactically really good. The changes he has made have always got us wickets somehow. He will grow further. He is here to stay as a leader and take this Indian Test team to great heights.”
On the phenomenal win, he said, “It means absolutely everything. I have played cricket for a while. We won the Champions Trophy. I have seen India lifting the World Cup, nothing compares to lifting the World Cup. but so many doubts, so many questions about whether Test cricket will stay or not. I think both the teams with the way we have played the series I guess have answered the question”