KL Rahul reflects on battling trolling and adapting to criticism

Senior right handed India batter KL Rahul recently opened up about the relentless trolling he has faced over the years and how he has managed to cope with it.

Since making his international debut in 2014, Rahul has become a key player across all formats and even captained the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

However, his performance, particularly in T20 cricket, has often drawn harsh criticism.

Rahul’s exclusion from India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad in favor of Rishabh Pant, who returned to the team as they embraced an aggressive batting strategy, further fueled the scrutiny.

After the T20 World Cup 2022, his approach to batting was heavily criticized, leading to his omission from India’s T20I plans.

In a candid conversation on a podcast, Rahul admitted that the constant trolling took a toll on him, especially in the last couple of years.

“I used to be good with [handling] trolling. I did not care, but I feel I was much younger back then. And then, a couple of years back, I was exposed to a lot of trolling. If I sat, I got trolled, if I stood, I got trolled,” Rahul shared.

To protect his mental well-being, he has distanced himself from social media, particularly Instagram, for the past year and a half.

Despite the criticism, Rahul has shown his adaptability in ODIs and Tests, excelling as both an opener and middle-order batter.

He had a strong performance in the recent ODI World Cup, scoring 452 runs in 10 matches with an average of 75.33.

However, his slow 66-run innings off 107 balls in the final against Australia brought him under scrutiny once again.

In addition to facing challenges on the field, Rahul has also seen changes in his leadership role, with Shubman Gill being promoted to vice-captain in ODIs.