About 7 months ago, Indian cricketers KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya made one of the biggest mistakes of their lives by appearing on a TV reality show 'Koffee with Karan' and saying things that were not ideal for somebody who are looked at as icons.

More than half a dozen months later, things are back in place for the duo. In fact in their own words they are better human beings and their friendship is still the same. Karnataka batsman KL Rahul told TOI how he has went through the criticism and came back stronger.

He said, “I won’t lie. I was bitter for a bit; it affected and bothered me a lot. I was angry, but I came out of it all as a more accepting person. I understood that certain things are sensitive, and no matter what you do, certain people will find the bad in you.”

The batsman has not had enough success at the international level to cement a spot in any of the formats. He delivers the goods that are expected of him in the shorter formats and looks a lesser batsman in Test cricket. He has now decided to focus entirely on his game.

“I need to focus more on cricket, spend more time in the gym, on the field — practicing and training. It made me more focused on my profession and what I really need to do. As I told you before, cricket is the only thing I am good at and there’s nothing else I can do to survive, so I need to give it all I have,” he said.

He also spoke on still being friends with Hardik Pandya and how they went about during the tougher times.

The 27-year-old said, “It was hard for both of us. We did speak to each other about it while this whole process was on (investigation). He was with his family and friends and I was with my people. We switched off from the outside world for those few weeks. We learnt from the situation, accepted it, and now we are back to being good friends. We literally spend 300 days together travelling and playing cricket. Hardik is still a good friend and we enjoy each other’s company.”

KL Rahul will now be featuring in the Test series against West Indies starting from 22 August while Hardik Pandya has been rested for the whole tour.

(Inputs from Times of India)