'Strike rate is over-rated' - KL Rahul maintains his stance ahead of Indian T20 League 2023

KL Rahul (Image credit: Twitter)

Ever since India started their series against Australia in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, KL Rahul's poor performances have been the talk of the town. Rahul, who is going through his worst form in the Test format, was dropped from the playing 11 for the third Test at Indore. The Indian opener was once again the talk of the fans when he arrived at the jersey launch event of his Indian T20 League (ITL) franchise.

When the Lucknow franchise unveiled their jersey for the ITL 2023 season, Rahul was asked about 'strike rates' in T20 cricket. The Lucknow captain, who once said, "strike rates are very, very overrated," continued his stand this time with a similar reply.

"I think strike rate is over-rated. But it depends upon the demand, like if you chase 140 - you don't need to go with 200 strike rate - it depends upon the current situation," he said at the event.

KL Rahul is a 'stable-headed' captain: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, former Indian cricketer and mentor of the Lucknow franchise, also attended the jersey launch event. Gambhir said the team is lucky to have a 'stable-headed' captain like Rahul.

Earlier in 2020, when Rahul was leading the Punjab franchise, his side were bowled out for 132 runs in 16.5 overs while chasing a mammoth score of 202 runs against Hyderabad. After the loss, skipper Rahul said in the post-match press conference that strike-rates are very overrated and all that matters is how I can win matches for my team.

“Strike-rates are very, very overrated,” Rahul said after the game. “For me, it’s only about how I can win games for my team. And if on a certain day I think a strike-rate of 120 can win the game for my team, I will do that. This is how I bat and I would like to take responsibility as a leader. We all make mistakes, I’m not saying I have not made a few mistakes but you learn each day as a leader, as a batter," Rahul said in 2020.

Rahul has failed to produce consistent performances across all three formats of the game, prompting former cricketers and fans to question his place in the Indian team. However, Rahul has a formidable batting record in the ITL, scoring 3889 runs at an average of 48.01 and a strike rate of 136.22 from 109 matches. But the Karnataka lad has not been able to lift the trophy with all the four franchises he has played with so far.