Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul has said that the pressure to replace veteran wicketkeeper MS Dhoni behind the stumps in the Indian national team was “immense” owing to the high expectations from fans. Rahul has been India’s preferred keeper in limited-overs format for quite some time now.
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni retired from the longest form of the game in 2014 and has not played for India in limited-overs cricket since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Rahul was given the wicketkeeping responsibilities in an ODI series against Australia in January this year and also during the team’s tour to New Zealand.
“I was nervous when I was doing it for India because of the crowd pressure. If you fumble, people feel that you cannot replace MS Dhoni. The pressure of replacing a legendary wicket-keeper like MSD was immense as it involved people accepting someone else behind the stumps,” Rahul told Star Sports on its show ‘Cricket Connected’. (via PTI)
Rahul, who has played 32 ODIs and 42 T20Is said that keeping wickets is not a new thing for him as he regularly dons the gloves during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and even for his Ranji side 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,” the 28-year-old said.
“I am always in touch with wicket-keeping but am also somebody who is more than willing to take up the role if the team needs me to,” he stressed.
There is still no clarity surrounding the future of MS Dhoni’s international career. He was expected to lead the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but the tournament has now been cancelled indefinitely in view of the coronavirus pandemic.