Here's How Rahul Dravid Helped KL Rahul Fix His Game And Return To The Indian Team

KL Rahul has maintained a stoic silence after he and Hardik Pandya were suspended and sent home in the middle of India's series in Australia for uninspiring comments against women on a television chat show. With his bat not talking either, Rahul's fortunes had plummeted.

The suspension, in hindsight, has proved fortuitous. Barely 48 hours after he returned home, Rahul hit the training ground. It was time to refocus. Soon he was picked to the India 'A' team for the series against England Lions. He scratched his way to a 25-ball 13 in the first limited-overs match in Kariavattom, a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, but that was only the springboard.

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The time spent with India 'A' coach Rahul Dravid did him a world of good and after struggling for the better part of the summer, the 26-year-old returned to the Rahul of old - a mean run machine with the bat.

In the seven innings across formats before his India 'A' sojourn, Rahul had made a pitiful 122 runs. In the seven after that, including his 26-ball 47 on Wednesday, he has piled on 322 runs with three half-centuries.

Rahul's blistering cameo on Wednesday wasn't enough to see India to victory, but it did prove he had found his groove.

"I got some time off from international cricket, so I came back here and reflected on what wasn't going right for me," Rahul said, following India's loss in the second and final T20I against Australia.

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"Fortunately, I got to play some India 'A' games where the pressure is a little less intense. It helped me focus on my skill and technique. I spent a lot of time with Rahul Dravid, working on my game and chatting about cricket. He helped me a lot in the games I played."

On lessons learnt from the chat-show controversy, Rahul said, it has been "humbling".

"It has been a hard time, no doubt," he said. "As a player, as a person everyone goes through difficult times and this was my time. It has humbled me. I respect the opportunities I've got to play for the country. It is the dream of every kid and I am no different. From here on, I just want to value where I am and keep making the opportunities count, put my head down and work on my game."

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While India lost the series 0-2, personally, there were plenty of takeaways for Rahul, who scored 50 and 47 in the series. The runs were crucial to Rahul's career as he presents his case for a World Cup berth. While he was happy with his personal form, he rued the fact that he didn't score more which could have helped the team cause.

"Happy that I have tasted a bit of success in the last two games and my batting has come out pretty well. But the other side is that I could have carried on in both innings, got a big score and won the game for my team. But I'll take the two knocks but there is a lot that I have learnt from the two knocks and I want to improve," he explained.

Rahul further reflected on the ups and downs in his international career, which began in Australia during the 2014-15 season. "It's been 4-5 years with Team India. I've learnt a lot about the game also about where I stand as a person and cricketer. I just tried to get better and see how I can get consistent and keep performing for the team."

Rahul will look to build on the confidence garnered from the two knocks and perform in the ODI series which gets underway on March 2 with the first match in Hyderabad.