India batsman KL Rahul, who doubled up as a wicketkeeper on the tour of New Zealand earlier this year, has opened up about the immense pressure of replacing MS Dhoni in the keeper’s slot, a position that attracts acute scrutiny in India.
“I was nervous when I was doing it for India because of the crowd pressure,” Rahul told Star Sports. “If you fumble a ball, people feel that you cannot replace MS Dhoni. The pressure of replacing a legendary wicketkeeper like Dhoni was immense, as it involved people accepting someone else behind the stumps.”
Rahul has been an occasional keeper in top-flight cricket, acting as a makeshift option under Virat Kohli during the 2016 IPL, when he replaced the injured Kedar Jadhav for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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Before the New Zealand series, at the international level, he filled in for an injured Wriddhiman Saha during an India-Sri Lanka Test at Colombo five years ago, although he has been more regular at the domestic level for his state Karnataka.
“People who follow cricket know that I haven’t been away from wicket-keeping for too long, as I donned the gloves in the IPL and every time I played for Karnataka. I am always in touch with wicketkeeping.”
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With Rishabh Pant in and out of the team, and the future of MS Dhoni with the Indian team under a thick cloud of doubt, the door is open for Rahul to extended his stint behind the stumps in limited-overs cricket.
“I am also somebody who is more than willing to take up the role if the team needs me to,” he said.
