KL Rahul, the Indian cricket team vice-captain, had some strong words for the critics of his strike rate in recent T20I matches when he spoke at a press conference at Mohali’s IS Bindra, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium. On Sunday, September 18, India captain Rohit Sharma made it clear that Rahul would be continuing as his opening partner despite his lack of form in the recently concluded T20 Asia Cup.

When quizzed about his strike rate in recent matches, the 30-year-old admitted that “no one is perfect” and that each person in the dressing room is working towards a goal. He further clarified that one’s strike rate depends on the situation the team is currently in, saying, “Obviously, strike rates are taken on an overall basis. You’ll never see when that batsman has played at a certain strike rate, whether it was important for him to play at 200 strike rate or whether the team could have still won playing at 100-120 strike rate.”

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Rahul, who has a strike rate of 140.91 in T20I and an overall strike rate of 137.35 in T20s, said that he is working towards improving the same. He commented, “Obviously, the roles that have been defined to each player in the last 10-12 months have been very clear and the player understands what is expected out of them”.

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During the press conference, Rahul was also vocal about the criticism that matters to him. The Bengaluru native said that he pays close attention to what the captain, coach, and teammates think about his performance. He said, “The most important thing for a player in that dressing room is what his captain, his coach and what the other players think of him. Only we know what role is expected out of each person and everyone is trying to give their best and not every time will a player succeed.”.