KL Rahul, reflecting on the changes at his home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, shared his thoughts ahead of India’s first Test against New Zealand on October 16, 2024.
With India on a six-match Test winning streak, the team is eager to extend its success against New Zealand, now led by Tom Latham and missing star batter Kane Williamson.
For Rahul, however, this Test holds personal significance as it marks a return to the city where his cricket journey began.
In a BCCI TV interview, Rahul spoke of his emotional connection to the stadium, recalling his boyhood memories, “Yeah, it’s always special for me to come back here. This is where I grew up, played all my cricket. The first game I played here was when I was eleven and a half years old. I’m 32 now, so a lot has changed. But the feeling for me as an eleven-year-old boy who came here first time, played a game, that feeling for me hasn’t changed.”
He described the flood of memories he experiences on the field at Chinnaswamy.
“From the time you leave the dressing room and walk to the middle, so many emotions hit you. It’s like a whole three-hour movie plays in your mind – from my early cricketing days at U13s, U15s, U19s, to Ranji Trophy and IPL matches, and finally, representing India internationally. It gives me goosebumps,” he added.
Rahul also fondly reminisced about the clubhouse canteen, a place full of memories, “From age-group cricket to Ranji Trophy, we’d have breakfast at the canteen, finish training, and return for lunch. I haven’t been there in the last year or so. I don’t know if that place has changed now. But it used to be really delicious and our morning started really good with dosa and coffee.”
Since his Test debut against Australia in 2014, Rahul has scored 2,969 runs in 52 Tests, averaging 34.52. In 2024, he has recorded 222 runs in four Tests, with two fifties, averaging 44.40.