KL Rahul was over the moon as he recently stepped on the field for practice after a lengthy COVID-19 hiatus. In fact, the emotions were running so high that he ended up shedding tears.
"After running on concrete and treadmill for months, when you step onto the ground you feel like you're walking on a cloud," Rahul told TOI in an exclusive chat. "It's difficult to explain the feeling. I was half in tears, half smiling. In fact, I just couldn't stop smiling. Just to be able to get out and run on the ground felt so good."
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The lockdown period was frustrating for sportsmen across the globe and Rahul was no different. It taught the Karnataka lad to be grateful for life and his career.
"It taught me to be grateful for a lot of things in life like just being healthy and having food on the table. During the period I also learnt to be a lot more patient. I'm grateful that I got to spend quality time with my family, which I haven't been able to do since my junior cricket days. It gave me an opportunity to reach out to and help less fortunate people. Also, I learnt to cook," Rahul remarked.
There were anxiety and frustration as well, especially with fitness resources being limited.
"Not having that chance to go to the gym or practice was frustrating. But we adapted well. We managed to put together gyms at home. Some of us started cycling, running in the car parks of apartments. We didn't have a choice. There were days when I was annoyed and frustrated, but I kept telling myself there were a lot of others having it much harder and tougher in life," he said.
Rahul also confessed that he feared his skills won’t remain the same after the resumption of the game.
"I was scared. I kept wondering if my skills would remain the same when I returned to the sport. I had nightmares. A couple of times I woke up in the middle of the night because I dreamt I had forgotten how to pick the line and length. It scared the hell out of me. To be honest, when I went back to play the first session, it was horrible because I was rusty," he admitted.
With the announcement that IPL 2020 will be held in UAE from September 19 to November 10, cricketers are overjoyed and eagerly waiting to showcase their skills.
Rahul is also looking forward to the 13th edition of Indian Premier League as he will lead Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the competition, with the legendary Anil Kumble being at the helm of affairs as coach.
"I'm lucky because we share a great understanding. We go a long way and he's seen me from my younger days. I've always looked up to Anil bhai. He has led the country, has a wealth of experience and has played this format as well. His knowledge of the game will be of great help in my first year as captain. His guidance and experience will be valuable.It will help me make good decisions in the middle," pointed out Rahul.
KL Rahul is aware of the challenges he will face as a leader in the upcoming IPL.
"As a leader, you will have to be mindful of the fact that a lot of players will be rusty. We will all be nervous because we are restarting the game with a major tournament without much action in recent times. So, it's important for a leader to make the players feel comfortable and let them know that it's okay to feel like that initially. That said, it will be a good learning experience for each one of us because we have a great set of coaches and support staff," he said.
