KL Rahul’s 152*: How Work with Abhishek Nayar Transformed His T20 Game

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, Rahul hit an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls, laced with 16 fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 226. He now holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian batter and the third highest overall in IPL history after Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum.

Rahul also went past Tilak Varma to now hold the record for the highest individual score by an Indian batter in men's T20s. "I was very pleased, very happy at the end of the first 20 overs. It's something that I've been working on for a very long time behind the scenes. Just said this last year as well, I spent a lot of time with Abhishek Nayar.

"We talked a lot about how I can improve and especially white ball game, also red ball game. But for now, it was about doing well in the IPL and where I was at and what I needed to do to get better and catch up with the modern demands of T20 cricket. So I'm really happy to see that I could put that into work and score runs for my team and get them to what I thought was a winning total," Rahul said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

He also admitted that watching the T20 World Cup and the fearless approach of young batters prompted him to re-evaluate his own strategy, particularly during the Powerplay overs. "Obviously, just to step back a little bit and see where T20 games have gone and what the demand of T20 cricket is in today's day and age.

"And watching the T20 World Cup, watching some of the young guys coming in and smashing from ball one and I've spoken about six hitting and that's something that I had to really work on and give myself that sort of freedom to go out there and take on the bowling from maybe ball one, ball two," he said.

Reflecting on the shift in the T20 landscape, Rahul noted that the luxury of taking time to settle is a thing of the past. "There was a time where the T20 game was slightly different where I as an opener could take some time and then accelerate. I had enough confidence in my ability that I could always convert those starts and make it a big knock at the end.

"But today's demand is that the first six overs is the most important thing that in the power play, is to get as many runs as you can and put the bowling under pressure. But obviously I stuck to being true to my game, which is to play cricket shots, but also find a way to be aggressive and play proper shots."

Addressing the difference between formats, Rahul highlighted that T20 cricket requires a constant attacking mindset, unlike ODIs. "Look, in T20 cricket, that's the mindset I am in right now. And I was in that sort of mindset last season as well, that there's no time in T20 cricket to say later. There is time in ODI cricket to say, maybe I can hold off for a couple of overs and attack at the back end.

"But as an opening batter, when you're playing in T20 cricket, that's something that I've watched and learned from the other guys who are playing international cricket and been successful is that there's no time for you to think, okay, I'm going to go next over," he said.

He further noted that while matchups and conditions still dictate certain tactical retreats, though he also aims to get big runs in one T20I over. "Yes, there are certain matchups which I feel aren't very favorable to me and the conditions in front of me don't allow me to attack a certain type of bowler.

"That's when maybe I'll fall back to hitting boundaries and six hitting becomes the second option. But throughout the innings, I've had to work really hard on my mental setup as well to tell myself that six hitting is what's required and trying to get 15, 16 runs in over is a must in T20 cricket."

- IANS