Indian star Rahul wants to party like it's 2011

KL Rahul has witnessed first-hand how Indian cricket success can bring billions of people together, so it’s no wonder he is desperate to deliver another global trophy this summer.

Back in 2011, Rahul was an 18-year-old watching on TV in a Bangalore bar as Gautam Gambhir’s gritty 97 and MS Dhoni’s swashbuckling 91 helped India chase down 275 to dramatically beat Sri Lanka in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final on home soil.

The celebrations that swept across the nation when Dhoni smashed a six over long-on to deliver India a first World Cup title in 28 years are the stuff of legend.

Eight years on, batsman Rahul is part of a squad including Dhoni and fellow 2011 hero Virat Kohli that are looking to repeat the trick in England and once again bring a country to a standstill.

“When the game was over it was absolute chaos,” remembers Rahul. “The roads were blocked, everybody left their homes and was on the road celebrating.

“It was an unbelievable experience to see so many people forgetting about their worries. Whatever they had going on in their lives, they were just so, so happy India had won the World Cup.

“It was even bigger because we won it at home in India – it brought billions of people together and brought so much joy.

“I was already playing first-class cricket but watching that made me want to take my cricket seriously and become more disciplined with my life.

“I knew what a World Cup could do to the country, how big it is and how valuable it is to be part of a World Cup dream.

“To be here after eight years representing my country means the world to me – I’m looking forward to hopefully inspiring billions of people again and to win the World Cup would be the icing on the cake.”

Rahul is now sharing a dressing room with the likes of Dhoni and Kohli and dealing with the expectation that follows the Indian team into every match.

But the 27-year-old is adamant they’re in position to go all the way in England.

“To be part of this team is incredible,” he adds. “It’s not just MS and Virat, there are so many other talented individuals – Rohit [Sharma] and Shikhar [Dhawan] and Jasprit [Bumrah], who is the most feared bowler in world cricket right now.

“To grow with all these payers has been an absolute honour and hopefully the hard work we have put in over the past two or three years means we can go out there, enjoy ourselves and win the World Cup.”

A natural top-order batsman, the dominance of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli as a top three means Rahul has had to settle for an unfamiliar middle-order role to crack this Indian line-up, a challenge he’s taken on with style.

“It’s not something I’ve done growing up – I’ve always batted at the top of the order and that’s where I feel most comfortable,” he admits.

“But with our top three scoring the number of runs they have over the last four or five years, it’s so hard to find your spot.

“The middle order is something I’ve been working on for the last couple of years to see what changes I’ll have to make to my game and what is needed to be successful.

“The most important thing, wherever you bat, is the first 20 balls. If they go your way then you feel comfortable and can start playing your natural game, so that’s what I’ve focused on.”

© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2018