Dubai, Feb 28 (IANS) Rotating strike through the middle overs against either spinners or pacers on the pitches at the Dubai International Stadium in the 2025 Champions Trophy has been a challenge, India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul admitted on Friday. The pitches in Dubai have been on the slower side and offer turn when batting second, which is when India were on the task of chasing scores of 228 and 249 against Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively.
But with the batters applying themselves to the conditions well, as well as Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli notching up centuries, India so far haven’t been troubled much in their pursuit of getting runs and keeping the dot ball percentage low. The challenge, though, will be sterner on Sunday when they face New Zealand in their final Group A game.
“Rotating the strike as soon as you go in against spinners or fast bowlers has been a little bit of a challenge. So, once those dot balls start to pile up on a batsman, obviously the pressure builds up, and you have to play that big shot, or you have to play really short. That obviously gives the opposition and the bowlers an opportunity. So that has been the challenge.”
“We’re trying to find ways to see how we can rotate the strike a lot more. We’re all very happy hitting boundaries and scoring boundaries, but on this wicket, that is very difficult. We have to make sure that the dot ball percentage is really less and then the risk that you take, the opportunities that you are going to take is suited for this type of wicket and against a certain bowler,” said Rahul in the pre-match press conference on Friday.
“So those are the talks that we are having within the batting group to see how we can move the fifth fielder around, and that gives us the opportunity to rotate the strike. But if the top order batters or the batters who are set can go on and get big runs, it just becomes easier for the number five, number six batters or lower order batters who go into bat will have a little less pressure,” he added.
Rahul also revealed his process has been to talk to teammates like Kohli and Iyer, as well as in-form Shreyas Iyer, to gain insights into the nature of the wicket and determine which shots would work best on that particular surface.
“We are having chats within the group and seeing whoever’s batted a lot. Shubham batted a lot on that wicket; Virat batted quite a lot in the last game, and Shreyas has been there. So just to go and speak to them and see, I’m sure they’ve gone through that same challenge as someone like me, Hardik (Pandya) or Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja). When we walk in Axar (Patel), it’s harder for us.”
“So just speaking to them and seeing what they did or wherever the areas they were trying to target, whether they were trying to target the square of the wicket or play much straighter. So those are the kind of conversations you have, and then it’s very individual. You see what suits you best,” he said.
“Someone might like sweeping and reverse sweeping, or playing an aggressive shot straight down the ground or playing off the back foot. The plans always revolve around what the individual is good at and what their skill set is good at. So that’s something that we talk about. Then we try and practice that, and when we go in the middle, hopefully, use that practice to good effect,” the India batter said.
Rahul signed off by talking about how he deals with criticism directed at him on social media platforms. “I’m quite used to seeing it and hearing it and reading about it. Sometimes, I just sit back and see whether the criticism is valid. I will fail sometimes, I will make mistakes, I will make mistakes in reading the game.”
“That’s the beauty of sport, and for me, if my heart is in the right place and if I am thinking that this is the best way for me to win the game, then I can go back home and sleep peacefully. But I mean, yes, I do read about it. And if it’s valid, then I’ll take it into account,” Rahul added.
–IANS
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