Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul opened up about why it took him some time to prove his worth as a white-ball player and change people's perception of him as a Test specialist.

Rahul made his India debut in December 2014 during the Test tour of Australia, but it took him a couple more years to start his international white-ball career.

In recent years, Rahul has established himself as India’s leading white-ball cricketer. He represented the country in the last two T20 and ODI World Cups.

Rahul has scored 2820 runs in 75 ODIs including seven centuries, and amassed over 2000 runs in the shortest format

"Initially, I was surprised I hit a six because I wasn't a strong T20 or ODI player back then. Ek tag bhi lag gaya tha ki ye Test match player hai, ye kabhi T20 ya one-day nahi khel paayega (I was given a Test player's tag and that I wouldn't play T20 and ODIs). He doesn't have the skill and strength to play white-ball cricket. It took me a long time to get out of that mould and change the people's perception about my cricket," Rahul told Star Sports.

The star batter further stated that the 2016 edition of IPL was the turning point for him as fans and experts started to acknowledge his ability as a white-ball player

Rahul played for RCB that season, amassing 397 runs in 14 matches at an average of 44.11 and a strike rate of 146.49.

"In 2016 when I played the IPL, I had a very good year with RCB and after that I think people started seeing KL Rahul as a one-day and T20 player as well. So after quietly working hard for many years behind the scenes, I got my spotlight," he added.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul failed to secure a place in India's squad announced for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 last week. He was upstaged by Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper's spots in the 15-member squad.

"KL's a terrific player, we all know that. The thing is we were looking for is guys who bat at the middle and KL bats at the top. We feel Sanju has the ability to come down the order. Rishabh is batting at 5, that was more the thinking. Two incredible players as well," BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in a press conference after the T20 World Cup squad was picked.