Gritty and determined, just like his namesake

KN Lokesh, professor of geology, National Institute of Technology, Surathkal is a big of Sunil Gavaskar and wanted to name his little one after the Little Master’s son. “I thought Gavaskar had named his son Rahul. Later, I realised my mistake. In any case, Rahul was quite a popular name those days. Cricketer Dravid and Rajiv Gandhi’s son are his namesakes,” recollects Lokesh.As it turned out, KL Rahul is uncannily similar to Dravid in temperament and style which will be on display during the India-Australia cricket series next month. The 22-year-old batsman is Karnataka’s latest contribution to the Test squad. “Having earned an opportunity to represent India, my approach towards cricket will be the same as it was earlier. Just that I need to be more disciplined and work harder. Words of praise from legends like Rahul Dravid and GR Viswanath gave me self-belief. Now, I’m keen not to prove them wrong,” said Rahul. Lokesh recalls that Rahul started taking interest in cricket at a very young age. “He’d play with a plastic bat when he was just three years old. Then, he started playing tennis ball cricket and graduated to the regular version with his school friends,’’ he said. Perhaps his father’s passion for the game rubbed off on him. “I used to watch a lot of cricket and even played a bit in college. I was a reserve in the Bangalore University cricket team,’’ he said. When Rahul was young, he’d have to commute from Surathkal to Nehru Maidan, Mangaluru about 20km away. “I used to take him there when he was a small boy. Later on, I’d request my friends who used to go to Mangaluru to take him. He used to be regular at summer camps. I’d tell him to closely observe the technique of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid,” said his father. Rahul realized he was made for cricket quite early. “Right from the beginning, he wanted to be a cricketer. We wanted him to study engineering. Rahul scored good marks in his board examinations and we wanted him to join the Science stream. But he said his passion was cricket and he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on studies if he took up Science. So, he preferred Commerce. I told him if he could balance studies and cricket, it was okay with me. Now, it seems he made the right choice,’’ said Lokesh. His coaches in Mangaluru, Devadas Nayak and Jairaj Samuel Muthu, said Rahul is intelligent and a keen listener. “Nobody can take credit for his success. Many have guided him but he’s put in a lot of hard work,’’ they say. They said his weak spot is concentration. “He has overcome that to a large extent. Initially, he struggled on the front foot. The Down Under tour will teach him more and pacers will test him,” they added. His parents know that Rahul has a long way to go. “I’m very happy he has achieved what he wanted to – play for India. But now he has to establish himself. He doesn’t want to be restricted just to one format of the game but he wants to be a good Test player.” The proud father said: “His head is in the right place. He has the maturity to handle the game at this level.” His mother Rajeshwari never watches him play: “We never go to the stadiums where he plays as we don’t want to put pressure on him. I don’t even watch TV when he’s playing as I get quite tense. I was a little sceptical about his chances of being a professional cricketer but now I’m happy.” Impeccable technique and self belief are Rahul’s stand-out qualities, said Karnataka team batting coach J Arun Kumar. He adds, “Self-belief acquired over three years of playing domestic cricket has served him well. He points out that Rahul's long hours at the nets have worked wonders. “Even during rest days you’ll find him batting at the nets. He’ll bring five bowlers and bat against them until he is satisfied. This dedication has helped him play a big innings in longer formats.” “Earlier, he was worried about his place in the squad but now he knows about his abilities and his role very well,” said JAK. Recalling his first meeting with the young lad, Kumar said: “He came into the team and was dropped the following season. I knew he was trying to be technically perfect. His cricket ethics were brilliant. After being dropped, he came back strong and made a great impact with his game.” “When it comes to cricket, he’s very focused. His work ethic and dedication to achieve something are remarkable. Now he has set his sights on making it big and he’s going after that. But he’s also a very jovial and fun-loving person,” said Karun Nair, his teammate at Vultures Cricket Club Know more
Favourite things
Authors: Not much into reading books
Food: Ice-cream. Indian and continental cuisine, but nothing in particular. Like to try new food
Fitness regime: Mix of running, gym, weight training, swimming, etc.
Movies: Dark Knight, Batman series
Actors: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Ranbeer Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan
Music: All kinds of music -- jazz, hip-hop, Indian Pastime: Different sports like golf and football when time permits