Dual role in ODIs keeping KL Rahul 'on his toes'

KL Rahul is having to work harder for his dual role of a wicketkeeperbatter in ODIs but he has no complaints as his priority is to be in the playing elevenThe 30yearold who is a regular India Test opener is now not only donning the wicket keeping gloves in absence of injured Rishabh Pant but has also been pushed to No 5 in the batting order with Shubman Gill occupying the opening slotRahul said the teams clear of the role it wants from himObviously Ive done this for a couple of years now From the end of 2019 throughout 2020 and a few games in 2021 Its not something thats new he said in the media interaction after guiding India to a series sealing win over Sri Lanka in second ODI hereThe team has given me time to settle into this position and role When you have the backing of your captain and coach it helps you focus and bring your 100 percent concentration which is what the team is expectingYes its different to what I do in other formats that keeps me on my toes keeps me challenged a different role helps me understand my game betterRahul is having to work harder on his fitness for the additional responsibilityIve to work slightly differently when it comes to batting in the middleorder Wicketkeeping and batting can be slightly more taxing on the body because I have not done it for too long Ive done it on and off in white ball cricketThats the tough part But since I know this is what is required from me I try to manage my body and work that much harder on my fitness Little bit of work on my keeping and a lot of work on batting in the middleorder and batting against spinAny role that helps win matches for my team and country is what satisfies me the most wherever I bat Firstly I want to be in the playing XI thats the most important thingAlso readIndia vs Sri Lanka KL Rahul anchors Indias seriesclinching win with unbeaten halfcenturyRahul said he has got used to playing different roles for the teamOnce you are there whatever the team requires me to do I try and do that Thats something that Ive done throughout Since the time Ive started playing cricket for India he added remembering his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in 2014Then afterwards I went on to open played at No 6 and when Shikhar Dhawan got injured I opened again played at No 4 and 5Rahul who also led India in Rohits absence last year said the trust bestowed on him by the team management helps him thrive under pressureIve been all over Ive been asked to keep wickets Its been fun for me Ive really enjoyed being thrown different challenges Ive really thrived on performing in tough conditions and being put under pressureThat only tells me that the team really trusts me and backs me under Virat and Rohit Ive really enjoyed doing that It helped me understand myself my game and my batting better How Im under pressure when taken out of my comfort zoneRahul has occupies the wicketkeepers slot at the expense of Ishan Kishan who is dropped despite his fastest double century in the previous ODI seriesThis has also fuelled debate over the selection of Rahul who is battling indifferent form after coming back from injury during the IPL 2022Chasing a paltry 216 Rahul bailed India out from being 864 with his knock of sheer patience and perseveranceHe was the only designated batter left in the middle as he stitched two key partnerships with Hardik Pandya 36 and Axar Patel 21 to take them over the line in 432 oversTheres little bit happening with the ball as well we handled the pressure pretty well Games like this are also important We played one 370plus and they scored 300plus he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever