Aoba Tanaka 
Indian cricketer KL Rahul recently discussed the difficulties he encountered, including criticism and online negativity, while recovering from a hamstring injury post-IPL 2023. He talked about the highs and lows of 2023, starting with being left out of the T20I side due to inconsistent performances.
Rahul faced more challenges, losing his spot mid-way through the Border-Gavaskar trophy. However, he stepped up as the ODI wicketkeeper after Rishabh Pant’s car accident. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury during IPL 2023 kept him from the World Test Championship final, where India faced a tough loss against Australia.
Despite making a strong comeback in the Asia Cup 2023, Rahul received criticism for his batting in the World Cup final. Scoring 66 runs wasn’t enough for some fans and experts, leading to online abuse. In a recent talk with the media, Rahul shared that handling criticism is not easy.
“It is difficult, obviously,” Rahul admitted, discussing the pressures of international cricket and social media. “But I can’t say it doesn’t affect you; it does. The sooner you realize that staying away from it is good for your game and your mindset, the better it is.”
Rahul emphasized the need to set boundaries on social media use and stick to a routine. Reflecting on his time away due to injury, he spoke about working on himself and staying true to his personality despite external pressures.
“It is difficult to remain true to yourself and true to your personality with so much happening. But like anything else in cricket, like anything else in life, there are ways to work on it,” said Rahul.
Despite the challenges, KL Rahul showed resilience by leading the Indian ODI side to a recent 2-1 victory against South Africa and scoring his 8th Test century in Centurion.
