Sehwag gave us full freedom to express ourselves: KL Rahul
NEWDELHI:KINGS XI Punjab opener Lokesh Rahul praised the Indian Premier League (IPL) side’s mentor Virender Sehwag, saying the former India star gave every player freedom to express themselves which helped to improve their game.
Led by star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Punjab kicked-off the 2018 season on a decent note, winning five of their first six games but faltered in the business end of the league.
“I did go up to Sehwag and spoke to him at different times. He kept his game very simple and that’s his advice to all the players — to go out, trust your gut feeling and enjoy the game with a smile on our face. That’s the kind of freedom he has given to everybody, not just me, be it batsmen or bowlers,” Rahul told IANS.
“And this is the brand of cricket we want to play as a team, not always keeping in mind the result. We want to be fearless and aggressive. In a tournament like the IPL, sometimes it will work and at other times it won’t. But we have to keep going,” the righthand batsman added.
Under their new skipper, the Punjab side managed to win six out of their 14 league games to end their campaign at the penultimate spot in the IPL tally with 12 points.
“Ashwin, I think, has been great. He spends a lot of time with the youngsters. He makes it clear that he expects the team to be fearless and play with instinct,” the 26-year-old said.