With the New Years bells ringing in year 2024, all eyes of the cricketing fraternity and fans are now set on the next big thing in cricket 5 months down the lane The ICC T20I World Cup to be held in the West indies and The United States of America. With all the cricketers focused on playing this multi nation cricketing spectacle and starting their preparations for the same, its evident that the Poster boy of Indian cricket KL Rahul who in his newly found role as a wicketkeeper batter is excited about the upcoming mega event.
Right from the start of his international career in 2014, KL Rahul has been named as the next Poster boy in Indian cricket citing his performances across all formats in years to follow. However, the expectations from fans and fellow cricketers to be the next big thing in Indian cricket took a toll on KL Rahul’s performances as he started to fail when it mattered the most.
Injuries and dip in form also saw KL Rahul who once hold a record of scoring a fastest half century in T20 match in IPL history only to be broken by Yashaswi Jaiswal in years later and the only Indian after Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma to score centuries in all formats of the game at international level lose his spot in the Indian National Team.
When everything seemed bleak and over for underperforming KL Rahul, year 2023 post injury came in as the lease of life for him Post his return from injury in the Asia cup, Rahul never looked back and took up the dual responsibility of wicketkeeper batter to bat at No 5 in white ball as well as red ball format. His dedication and skills impressed all as he scored 111 on his return post injury against Pakistan in Asia cup, had a decent World cup with handy innings in backend, a fiery century vs Netherlands only to be attacked for his slow innings in the finals.
However, in the first innings of Centurion Test where all other Indian batters failed to score huge runs, KL Rahul scored a masterful 101 runs batting at No 6 showing immense caution with aggression while batting with the lower order propelling India’s score to 245 after faltered start. This newly found confidence has urged KL Rahul to believe if given chance in the T20I World Cup, he could do wonders for the team.
KL Rahul who has captained the likes of Punjab Kings previously and Lucknow SuperGiants in the recently concluded IPL 2023 has received praises for his captainship abilities by companion and fellow teammate Afghanistan speedster Naveen Ul Haq.
“His work ethic is absolutely amazing” – Afghani speedster Naveen-ul-Haq hails KL Rahul as a great leader
Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq showered praises on his Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul, terming him a great leader. Naveen asserted that he enjoyed playing under Rahul’s leadership in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and is looking forward to another exciting season.
The 24-year-old right-arm pacer is in India as part of Afghanistan’s squad for a three-match T20I series, which begins with the first match at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, January 11.
In an interview with The Times of India, Naveen shared his experience of playing under Rahul in IPL 2023. Hailing the Indian cricketer, he said:
“He [Rahul] is a great leader. I played under his captaincy last year. He leads from the front. I am excited to play under his captaincy once again. I had a great time playing under his leadership. He is a great human being. He gives players that liberty and motivation. His work ethic is absolutely amazing. I am really happy and it feels good to be part of the team he is leading.”
The Afghan pacer has been retained by the Lucknow franchise for the upcoming IPL season. Expressing optimism about featuring in the 2024 edition, he said:
“Exciting times are ahead. I am really excited for another season with Lucknow Super Giants. I am looking forward to a superb IPL season. I am sure we have a good competition.”
Naveen played eight matches for LSG in IPL 2023, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 19.91 and an economy rate of 7.82.
“We are high on confidence after a good show in the ODI World Cup” – Naveen-ul-Haq confident about his teams chances in upcoming years
Afghanistan had a highly impressive 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in India during which they defeated England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands. Naveen asserted that the World Cup 2023 success will give them confidence in the T20I series in India. He said:
“We have prepared ourselves really well. We are all working hard towards the goal. We have a few series before the World Cup, including the India series, and we will be ready by the time the World Cup arrives,” the pacer added in the interview with The Times of India.
In 30 T20Is, Naveen has claimed 39 wickets at an average of 20.10 and an economy rate of 7.93, with a best of 4/20 and his exploits with the Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG) in IPL 2024 will only hope for him making a mark with Afghanistan team in the upcoming T20I World Cup 2024.