Experience in RCB dressing room best a youngster could ask for, admits KL Rahul

India’s seasoned wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul had made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2013 edition of the marquee T20 competition. Following that Rahul was recruited by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 1 crore, before returning to RCB ahead of the 2016 IPL season.

Rahul, who was named the captain of the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the 2020 season, recalled his first year with the RCB and termed it as the best a youngster could’ve asked for. The dressing that had the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers had Rahul in awe. 

"I think it was the biggest gift a youngster could have asked for. I was 21 when I walked into the RCB dressing room. Virat, AB, Chris, Zaheer Khan. So many great players in the change room. Just to be around them and see how they prepare. First year, I was very shy to go to them and talk to them as I was in awe of those players having seen them play for so many years," Rahul was quoted as saying by Times Now. 

"The biggest lesson was to see these great players do the things we do at 1st class cricket. They keep things simple, don't complicate it. That's what AB (De Villiers) told me in the first two years and it stuck with me. The more simple you keep cricket, the more it will give you back.”

The 2020 edition of the IPL, that was originally scheduled to start on March 29, was pushed indefinitely in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.