28 October - Lucknow - India player KL Rahul pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
England being a demoralized side, when you take on such a side, what is the factors to be cagey about?
[K L Rahul:]
Firstly, we don't think of any opposition that way. Any team on the given day can be dangerous and I am sure you have covered enough cricket matches to know that there is no team that starts off as favourite in a game of cricket or in any sport. So, it's important that we keep doing what we've been doing and focus on our strengths.
[Reporter:]
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made runs in the last few years. What is the advantage of this? Or do you think that these are senior players – they have made runs. Besides you no one in the middle order has made runs - is it a concern? Or do you think that matches are still left and this can be addressed?
[K L Rahul:]
No, I don't think it is a concern. It is a very good thing when your senior players are making runs and are in form. That is what you expect from players like Rohit and Virat.
Yes, whoever has got the chance, whoever has got the opportunity, they have contributed. I know that big scores have not been scored, hundreds have not been scored apart from Virat and Rohit. But that is the challenge for the other guys. Shubman has scored 50, Shreyas has scored 50, I have been batting [well]. When Jadeja got the chance in the last match, he also finished the match. So, every player has a different role. They are playing their role and responsibility well. Team is winning so we we're not really worried but whenever anyone gets a chance, I'm sure they'll put their hands up.
[Reporter:]
In Colombo you were informed 5 minutes before that you have to play a match – from there you started and have made a great comeback, after your injury. Tell us how you stop the outside noise, People say a lot about you. Tell us about this comeback.
[K L Rahul:]
I have put a lot of effort in this. I tried to address it. Outside noise for a long time, I thought it won't affect me, but in the last year or so it started affecting me. And then I realized that I will have to work on it. And when I got time, outside of the game, I tried to work on that side - mentally you got to get a lot more stronger, a lot more thick-skinned. So yeah, so that really helped me being away from the game.
[Reporter:]
But how, like Rohit said he is not on social media.
[K L Rahul:]
Same, that and then there are specialists, batting specialists, bowling specialists, there are specialist mental coaches that you can really use and work on if you feel that it will help. So, I tried a bit of everything.
[Reporter:]
Such a big tournament, so much pressure, but when it comes to the fielding medal, the presentation, it looks fun from outside, looks like a small thing, but to keep the atmosphere good, it becomes a very big thing?
[K L Rahul:]
I think that is just one thing that you are seeing or the fans outside are seeing, they are getting to see a version of cricketers that maybe they have not seen before but one thing is that since I have returned to the team from Asia Cup, the environment has been such that everyone is enjoying cricket. Everyone is in a very happy state of mind. We know that whenever we cross the boundary line, there will be pressure. But the best thing we can do is outside of the field still try and enjoy ourselves and try to be as calm as possible. The atmosphere we're trying to create that and I think everyone must have realized after playing cricket that is the biggest thing that you need to keep outside - that is the outside noise or pressure. In World Cup or any big tournament or big matches the team that handles pressure better is the team that will more often than not win the game.
So individually we are all trying from our side that how we can be in that zone and yes, the fielding medal videos that you are watching, it is fun for us also, whatever happens, there is a lot of fun, there is a lot of banter. So, it is a good way to connect as a group as well.
[Reporter:]
During IPL you were injured in this ground. And you must have a desire to do something great in Lucknow so that you can rise from that injury. Have you thought about that?
[K L Rahul:]
I am trying to forget; you are reminding me again and again.
[Reporter:]
But the IPL was incomplete there, you were on 4th position. So, you must have to do something.
[K L Rahul:]
Yes, I am a little sad about that, but the injury that I had, it 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, 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.
I can't say that it is not in my mind. Yesterday when I came to the ground, last memory of this ground is that - 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.
[Reporter:]
You have won all five games chasing, so is there any thought at all of that situation might arise where you might have to bat first in a knockout game? Is that something that you guys have spoken about at all?
[K L Rahul:]
A little bit. I mean, not really gone too much into it. I know few, I think one game we did lose a toss and ended up bowling first as well. So, toss 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.
[Reporter:]
I want to ask you about your injury, about coming back from injury and having to take a catches. Among the two, you were really good at catching. Could you just talk about the work that you got into enhancing your game, since you got to come back from the injury?
[K L Rahul:]
During the process of getting fitter as well, I did focus a lot on wicket keeping 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 more harder on are my is my fitness and my wicket keeping. 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.
Yeah, so it's as simple as any other skill. The more you do, the harder you work on it, you have the best chance to do well and I am taking wicket-keeping seriously because in India in these conditions it will be important to have your technique right, to have your glove work right and so I am trying to tick all of those boxes so I can do my best as a wicket-keeper as well.
[Reporter:]
Undefeated in the tournament, obviously there is a nice environment in the dressing room, that's the simplistic answer. What's the one thing different about your side, especially in a tournament which is always a high-pressure tournament in India, it can't get more intense than this. There's something different about your side and India this time. What would you put that down to? Anything that hasn't been said in the dressing room together that you can put it down to?
[K L Rahul:]
I think it's just, this is my personal observation and what I think if I have to put myself outside, as an outsider if I view the Indian team.
I think it's just how we've been really aggressive. And also, our preparations have been really, really good, and very particular, very spot on from the time at least I've come back into the team since the Asia Cup.
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.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible]
[K L Rahul:]
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 that extra runs on the board. So yeah, I can't comment much on this.
[Reporter:]
What about pitch?
[K L Rahul:]
Pitch will be good. I mean, there are wickets of 250-260, there are wickets of 370. It really depends on where you are playing. So that is the beauty of playing in different places.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible]
[K L Rahul:]
In our side. Yes, Hardik has also been a very important member of the team and he has been there and he does a very important role for the team. So not having him is also a bit of a miss for the team. But it's unfortunate what happened. And yeah, we also at some point have to look at the now and the present is that he is not available for this game.
Surya will probably get his chance and we know what Surya can do. So, our confidence is in Surya till Hardik comes back.
[Reporter:]
England as an opposition, the defending champions, they seem to be really unravelling pretty fast. What is the talk in the dressing room about them?
[K L Rahul:]
Honestly ma'am, we have not spoken too much about the opposition so far in all these games. The talk mostly has been on focusing about our strengths. Yes, we do a little bit of homework about the opposition and like you said England is the defending champion. Yes, they may not have had a few results going their way but it doesn't change the fact that they are still a very dangerous team and we will not go by what has happened with them in the last few games. We will focus on tomorrow and try to compete and beat them again.