KL Rahul returns to home ground for third time in Test cricket

Bengaluru: It’s always special to return to the place where it all began and senior India batter KL Rahul is feeling the same as he takes guard one more time at the hallowed Chinnaswamy Stadium here for India’s first Test against New Zealand beginning Wednesday.

Rahul cut his teeth at the very same venue as a 11-year-old boy and he is now one of India’s key batters.

“It’s always special for me to come back here, to your home ground, the place where you grew up and played all your cricket,” Rahul said in a video posted by the BCCI on its social media handle.

“The first match when I played here was when I was 11 and half years old. I am 32 now and so a lot has changed. But the feeling of an 11-year-old boy who came here first time, played a game, that feeling has not changed, I still remember it so many years later.” Rahul is set to play his third Test here. He scored 90 and 51 as an opener in India’s 75-run win against Australia in March 2017 and made 54 as No. 3 batter in the team’s innings and 262-run victory over Afghanistan one year later.

“From the time you leave the dressing room, walk out to the middle, there are so many emotions that go through, so many memories that come back. In two minutes you see a whole three-hour movie and your head is having the flashbacks going about the time I played here first.

“My journey as a cricketer to playing U13, U15, U19, age group, then Ranji Trophy and IPL and now international stage, all of them come into your head. You have goosebumps and it’s a magical feeling for a player,” he said in the video titled ‘Namma Maga’ (our son).

He said cricketers all around the world, Indian or foreigners, in the IPL or otherwise, enjoy coming here and playing “in this beautiful city I called home”.

Rahul recollected the days when he used to have dosa and coffee at the clubhouse canteen at the stadium, though he has not gone there for some time.

“From age group cricket to when we were playing Ranji Trophy, that used to be the place where we used to have breakfast and come to the ground for training, finished our training and go there for lunch.

“So, we spent a lot of time at the canteen at the clubhouse behind and at the ground. I have not been there for more than a year, I don’t know whether that place has been changed now.

“But it used to have really delicious food there, I start my mornings with dosa and coffee there,” said Rahul who has so far made 2969 Test runs from 52 matches at an average of 34.52.

India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja made a guest appearance in the video and said Rahul’s hair must be easier to maintain than his.

“It’s not easy to maintain curly hair, it’s difficult, need to bowl also with these long hair. I can say KL will be easier to maintain than his hair,” Jadeja joked.

Rahul said his family has no issues with him having long hair.

“My mom just wants to oil my hair, nothing else. She is OK with me growing hair.

“I have had long hair once before, they make fun of me but they never say don’t grow your hair,” said Rahul who made a plea to the general public to come in large numbers and support the Indian team.