"My thought process, motivation have always been team first": KL Rahul ahead of BGT opener against Australia

New Delhi [India], November 15 : Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 between India and Australia, right-hand batter KL Rahul shared his thoughts on how he approaches the game and whether he has to focus on playing his natural game or playing for the team.
The much anticipated Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.
"All of us as players want to play with freedom, and everyone would think that the way I batted, I'm enjoying playing that. But like I said, my thought process and motivation have always been team first. It doesn't matter what I want to do or what my natural game is. We play a team sport. If I played tennis, it would be different; I could stick to saying, 'This is my natural game.' But in a team sport, it's very different. Each game, you'll have a different role and responsibility given to you to find a way to deliver for the team," Rahul said while speaking on Star Sports.
Earlier in the day, KL Rahul suffered a blow on his elbow during India's match simulation at the WACA Ground. The right-hand batter left the field after he was stuck on his elbow. This is a huge blow for the team as he was considered a possible replacement for Rohit Sharma in the opening slot for the series.
Rahul showed glimpses of returning to his purple patch after hammering 68 in the rain-curtailed Kanpur Test against Bangladesh. The New Zealand series presented a perfect opportunity for him to impose his swagger and grow more in confidence. But 12 runs across both innings in the opening Test led to him being sidelined from the playing XI for the remaining two games.
Over the years, India has regained an upper hand over Australia in the series. India has won its previous four series against Australia in a row, including two wins in Australia in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons.
This has made India a much more successful side in the series, with India winning the BGT 10 times and Australia winning it five times, with their last series win coming in during the 2014-15 season. Their last series win in India was in 2004-05.
After the game at Perth, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.