Cricket

KL Rahul Breaks Silence on Strike Rate Debate, Addresses India Squad OmissionLucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul has addressed the ongoing debate surrounding strike rate in T20 cricket, following his team's match against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. Rahul, along with Virat Kohli, has faced criticism for their strike rates despite being among the top run-scorers in the tournament."There's been a lot of talk about strike rate, and T20 cricket has changed a lot in the last couple of years," Rahul said. "We have to adapt to the conditions and play according to the situation."Rahul's comments come after he was omitted from the India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Skipper Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited the need for middle-order batting options as the reason for selecting Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as wicket-keepers."I'm not a best reader of a wicket, we just like chasing," Rahul added. "The good thing is we have been able to adapt really well and quickly to the conditions."In the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rahul won the toss and opted to field. He praised the performance of Venkatesh Iyer, who scored a crucial half-century for KKR."He (Venkatesh Iyer) got tremendous character and happy for the way he executed," Rahul said. "It's important to stay in the present."KKR captain Shreyas Iyer also expressed confidence in his team's ability to defend their total."We would have bowled as well. Defending that total with five bowlers in the last game gives us a lot of confidence," Iyer said. "There's a lot of self-belief in the team."