'You never see when a batter...' - KL Rahul on his T20I strike rate before Australia series opener

KL Rahul addressed the media ahead of India's three-match T20I series opener versus Australia at Mohali, on Tuesday (September 20). Rahul returned to international cricket in mid-August, having last played at the highest level in February, and led a second-stringed Indian team in a short tour of Zimbabwe before featuring in India's dismal Asia Cup campaign, in the UAE.

Rahul, however, failed to shine and returned with only 132 runs -- including a best of 62 versus Afghanistan -- and was once again under the scanner for his strike rate in the tournament (122.22). In the recent past, the right-hander has been criticised for his strike rate in the shortest format of the game which many believe puts pressure on the other batters. In this regard, Rahul defended his approach and said that every batter is fulfilling the role given to them.

"Look, obviously something that every player wants to work on. No one is perfect, everybody is working towards something, obviously strike rates are taken on an overall basis. You never see when a batter has played at a certain strike rate, whether it was important to play for him to play at a 200 strike rate or whether the team could still have won with him playing at 120-130. These are the things that no one analyses," KL Rahul told reporters on the eve of the T20I series opener versus Aaron Finch & Co.

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"Yes, it is something that I am working at, the roles that have been defined for each player in the last 10-12 months have been very clear, and everyone is working towards it. And, I am just working towards how I can better myself as an opening batter and how I can have an impact on my team whenever I go out to bat," Rahul asserted.

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The Indian vice-captain also lauded skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravidfor creating a secure environment where players are not scared to fail.

"There can be criticism about many things. But the most important thing for a player is what his captain, coach, and teammates think of him in the dressing room. Only we know what role is expected of each player. Everyone is trying to give their best, but not everyone can succeed in each game. It is the kind of environment we have created where players are not scared to commit mistakes or fail," the 30-year-old Rahul added.