Team India have impressed one and all with their clinical display in the ongoing Cricket World Cup. The Men in Blue have won all five matches so far against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand.
The five victories have propelled the tournament hosts to the top of the points table, and they need one more win out of the remaining four games to secure a spot in the semi-final.
India’s next match is scheduled against defending champions England in Lucknow on Sunday (October 29).
The Ekana Cricket Stadium is a home venue for India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul in the IPL. He is the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants franchise in the cash-rich league.
Earlier this year, Rahul sustained a thigh injury while playing an IPL match on the same ground, which ruled him out of the game for a considerable period.
On the eve of the match, Rahul interacted with bcci.tv and shared the painful process of recovering from injuries.
"I'm at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, my home ground when I play in the IPL for the Lucknow Super Giants. It's a ground that's very close to my heart. The last year that we played here, the turnout we saw from the crowd, the love, and the support that we got last year was unreal. And it's the first time I really got to experience the Lucknow crowd or the support from the whole of UP in full flow. I entered the ground today and I had to do some running," Rahul said.
"And I told my trainer Rajni sir that you know my heart is racing because the last time I was here, I had not such a great experience or not such a great moment in my career. So yeah, it was you know a bit bittersweet. Also, obviously, the ones that happen at the very end tend to stick with us for a lot longer and have a bigger impact on us, and that injury obviously had a huge impact on me and my career. So it wasn't such a happy moment for me, for my family. I've been through many injuries now in the little time that I played for India. And it's not a great feeling for any athlete to keep getting injured so often and to go under the knife and to get surgery is very firstly terrifying and secondly painful,” he added.
Having made a successful comeback from injury, Rahul now aspires to create unforgettable moments against England at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
“Obviously very happy to be back here in Lucknow and to change those memories and to make some new ones and some happy ones. And yeah obviously we play a very strong England team. They are the champion team. They're the defending champion. So, looking forward to Sunday," he said.
Talking about KL Rahul’s prowess in the ongoing World Cup, the right-hander has registered scores of 97*, 19*, 34* and 27 from four innings so far.
