One thing the IPL has done so charmingly over the years is to bridge the gap between international cricketers and create a healthy competitive environment among the top players of Team India. The reigning top 20 Indian cricketers have always been spread across the different franchises, giving them a platform to call the shots and rise individually. Friday’s Mumbai Indian vs Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 match at the Wankhede Stadium was another such example. Two top Indian cricketers – MI opener Rohit Sharma and LSG captain KL Rahul came face-to-face.
And as it happens so often the on-field competition gave way to a public show of camaraderie as soon as the match ended. During the post-match presentation, Rahul and Rohit shared a light moment. The stylish batters were seen having a heart-to-heart when Rahul, the winning captain of the night, was called to share his thoughts on the last match of the season. For a brief moment, he couldn’t find the microphone but was reassured once improved by Harsha Bhogle that there was one closer to the dais.
Rahul reflected on his team’s performance but he was also asked about his own future in T20 cricket. The LSG captain did not make it to India’s T20 World Cup side as the team decided to pick Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as keeper-batters. His place as an opener went to Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Rahul and his father-in-law will cheer for Sharma ji ka beta
This will be the first time in three editions of the T20 World Cup that Rahul will not be opening the batting for India. But 32-year-old he would be glued to the television while cheering for India.
“I’m on my father-in-law’s team… on his side. We’ll both be cheering for ‘Sharma ji ka beta’ for the World Cup coming up and we’ll be glued to the television and sending all our love to the Indian team,” he said.
To understand the “Sharma ji ka beta” and “father-in-law” references, one needs to go back to the IPL promotional advertisement featuring Rahul, Rohit and Bollywood actor and the LSG captain’s father-in-law Suniel Shetty. The ad shows Shetty ignoring son-in-law Rahul and pampering Rohit because of his allegiance to the Mumbai Indians.
When asked whether he would reconsider his batting position in T20s like he had done to cater to the team’s needs in ODIs, Rahul said: “Maybe, maybe not, there’s not much T20 cricket coming up [for me] now. It depends on where I stand and what I need to do to get back in the team, I’ll think about what the team needs.”
LSG rose to No.6 in the points table after beating MI by 18 runs. They can end the season at that position if the Royal Challengers Bengaluru lose to Chennai Super Kings in Saturday’s do-or-die encounter.
Rahul said he was disappointed for not making the playoffs as at the start of the season, he believed, they had the team to go all the way but a few injuries disturbed the balance of their side.
“Very disappointing. At the start of the season, I felt we had a very strong season and most basis covered. A couple of injuries happen to every season and team, but the guys who went away dented us a little bit. We didn’t play well enough collectively and couldn’t come together as much as we wanted to. Today was the kind of game we wanted to play more when the bowlers and batters both come together,” he added.
