“Sometimes I just sit back and see whether the criticism is valid” - KL Rahul reacts to constant scrutiny over his batting

Team India's keeper-batter KL Rahul has revealed that he does keep a tab of the criticism around his batting, which can get quite harsh at times. He also asserted that he does take the brickbats into account if they are valid.

Rahul is one of the most trolled cricketers in India. Despite being hugely talented, he has failed to live up to expectations on a number of occasions. However, while he has been disappointing in Test cricket and T20Is, the 32-year-old batter's ODI numbers are pretty good.

The Karnataka cricketer will next be seen in action when India take on New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday, March 2 in their third and final group match of the 2025 Champions Trophy. At a press conference ahead of the game, Rahul shared his views on constantly being under scrutiny over his batting performances. Responding to a query, he said (as quoted by Cricbuzz):

"I'm quite used to seeing it and hearing it and reading about it. Yeah, And 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 and 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," he went on to add.

Rahul scored a vital 41* off 47 balls in India's six-wicket win over Bangladesh in Dubai. Chasing a target of 229, the Men in Blue were in a spot of bother at 144-4. However, Rahul and Shubman Gill (101* off 129) guided India home with an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 87 runs.

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"It's never easy" - KL Rahul on moving up and down the order in ODIs

While Rahul can be criticized for his batting at times, one would find it difficult to fault his commitment to the team's cause. When Rishabh Pant was unavailable due to his car accident, he took the gloves in ODIs. The 32-year-old has also been constantly shunted up and down the order during his one-day career.

Admitting that not having a fixed batting position is tough, Rahul commented:

"It's never easy for anyone on the team to be moving in different places but yeah, that's, that's how the game goes. Whatever the team thinks is the best possible combination and what they feel is the best entry points for the player, you leave it up to the team to decide and you just try and do your job."

Despite being moved up and down the order, the elegant batter from Karnataka averages 48.26 from 82 one-day matches at a strike rate of 87.74. He has seven hundreds and 18 half-centuries to his name in the ODI format.