JOIN USAfter a series of injury-forced absences since his debut, KL Rahul has been laid low by illness just when he was hoping to make smooth return to the side.
While the medical tests have all come negative, the team management has decided to rest him for the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting here on Wednesday. During his short but eventful career, Rahul has missed out on a lot of international cricket owing to different injuries – from ankle to shoulder to freak.
The latest minor setback will have come as a big disappointment for the right-hander but his skipper Virat Kohli had words of comfort and advice for the youngster.
‘Think positive’
“It’s very similar to how you perceive a situation where as batsmen or bowlers we counter difficult situations,” said Kohli when asked as to what he would he advise Rahul as a captain.
“You choose to think positively or negatively in that stage and that makes all the difference as to whether you will be able to counter it or succumb to the situation. What I like to do in these situations is think positive, the moment you panic then that negative energy starts cropping up.
“It’s difficult to keep the players positive when they are injured, I have also been injured recently and it’s a not a nice feeling. See the only thing you can do is accept the reality and know what needs to be done. There is not much you can do apart from doing rehab and all those sort of things.
“This is not an injury and I am sure he is not that disappointed. He has had a major surgery and he has been able to come back. So three-four days more will not make a difference to him because he batted well really in the practice game and he is really looking forward to step back on to the field,” he explained.