Rahul said the India A stint under coach Rahul Dravid helped him immensely.
The
harrowing time that he faced in the wake of a chat show controversy
has "humbled him a little bit", feels opener KL
Rahul, who now values his India cap more than ever before.
Both
Rahul and Hardik Pandya were provisionally suspended for their loose
comments on women during a popular chat show. Their bans were later
revoked pending inquiry.
The
off-field controversy erupted after Rahul endured a dismal run in the
four-Test series in Australia but he is back in the national team
after finding his feet with the India
A side.
"It
was a hard time no doubt. I mean, as a player, as a person, everyone
has to go through difficult times and it was my time to go through
that and I like I said it gave me time to reflect on my game, on
myself. I have always been someone who takes things as it comes,"
said Rahul after the second T20 International.
India
lost the short series 0-2 but Rahul made a successful comeback with
scores of 47 and 50. After he was sent back from Australia, Rahul was
given the opportunity to regain form in the India A home series
against England Lions and he made it count.
Asked
if the entire controversy has changed him as a person, the
26-year-old said:"It has humbled me a little bit and you know. I
respect the opportunity that I have gotten to play for the country.
The dream of every kid is to play for the country and I am no
different.
"Just
to value where I am, just to keep making opportunities count and put
my head down and keep working on my cricket," said the man from
Karnataka.
Rahul
said the India A stint under coach Rahul Dravid helped him immensely.
"I
got some time off from international cricket, so I could come back to
India and reflect on what was not going right for me. Fortunately, I
got to play some India A games where the pressure is a bit less and
where I could focus on my skill and my technique," said Rahul.
"I
got to spend a lot of time with Rahul Dravid, working on my game and
chatting about cricket. He helped a lot in the five games I played
for India A. The time I have spent in the middle has helped. It is
nice to be back with the boys and back in blue," the relief was
palpable as he spoke.
Rahul
hopes that it is a blessing in disguise that he courted controversy
early in his international career.
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