'KL Rahul didn't look that fluid but…': Pujara assesses DC star's redemption and ‘baggage from the past’
Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara heaped praise on KL Rahul for not carrying the baggage from the past and enjoying his batting at the moment.
KL Rahul continues to redeem himself in T20 cricket as the talismanic batter played another match-winning knock for Delhi Capitals on Wednesday in Lucknow. The wicketkeeper batter has been the man in form for Delhi this season, which has helped them maintain a strong position in the playoffs race. The former LSG skipper returned to his old venue, silenced the crowd with his record-breaking 57*, and aligned DC on points with Gujarat Titans at 12 points each. He completed 5000 runs in IPL during his half-century against LSG and became the fastest to do so in 130 innings.
Rahul spent three years at LSG, where he led them to the playoffs in their first two seasons - 2022 and 2023, but the franchise saw a dip in 2024 and finished seventh. The underwhelming show last season led to a tainted relationship between Rahul and LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka. In a video that went viral on social media, Goenka was seen publicly reprimanding the former Lucknow captain after a defeat.
However, he has redeemed himself since joining Delhi and has been a consistent performer for them this season with 323 runs in seven innings.
Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara heaped praise on Rahul for not carrying the baggage from the past and enjoying his batting at the moment.
"Just move on, don't carry any baggage from the past. And that's a good thing. KL is a mature player. Last couple of years, he's been batting well across formats," Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut.
"He doesn't want to think about the past and wants to enjoy his batting and be in his zone, rather than think about what went wrong when he was playing for the LSG team. It's good to move on, which will also help him play well for DC and even for the Indian team. Because, lately, he is someone the India team also relies on, the way he's batting."
“KL Rahul looks a lot more mature now”
Rahul has provided the much-needed stability to Delhi's middle-order, which has allowed them to control the game both batting first and second.
Pujara also feels that Rahul has redeemed himself this season and is playing with a lot of maturity.
"He looks a lot more mature now and understands his game very well. We've seen a different KL Rahul this season. When he started [against LSG], he didn't look that fluid, but he still picked it up," he added.
