KL Rahul played a pivotal role in helping India secure their third Champions Trophy title, ending a 12-year-long wait for the prestigious ICC trophy. The 32-year-old Karnataka cricketer was chosen ahead of Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper-batter role in the playing XI, and he fully justified the selection.
Apart from scoring 140 runs in four innings across five matches, Rahul was exceptional behind the stumps, taking six catches and completing one stumping. His calm and composed knock of 42* in the semifinal against Australia helped India chase down a tricky target, while his 34 off 33 balls in the final against New Zealand provided crucial stability as India clinched victory in Dubai on March 9.
After securing his first ICC title as a player, Rahul sat down for an interview with Sanjana Ganesan, where she asked him about the experience of keeping wickets against India’s formidable spin quartet—Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Rahul’s response, laced with humour and honesty, has since gone viral.
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“It’s not fun, Sanjana,” KL Rahul quipped. “You know, I have to squat 200-250 times when these spinners are bowling. They are high-quality, and the pitches assisted them, making them even more dangerous. That, in turn, made it even more challenging for me behind the stumps. The way they bowled, the way they used those conditions, was phenomenal.”
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KL Rahul’s performances in the tournament underscored his growing importance in India’s setup. He also played a crucial role in the Group A match against Bangladesh, remaining unbeaten on 41 runs. Reflecting on the triumph, Rahul expressed his deep satisfaction at winning the Champions Trophy with Team India.
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“I don’t think there’s a better feeling than this,” he told Star Sports. “A couple of months ago, I had said in an interview that my entire focus was on winning as many titles as possible. God has put me in situations where I can win games for my team. I haven’t always been able to, but that’s the beauty of sport—you keep getting opportunities. If you stay humble, put your heart in the right place, train hard, and let your bat do the talking, God finds ways to bless you. We work hard all year, throughout our careers, but moments like these are truly special.”
