Sometimes, if he finds criticism reasonable, he takes it seriously and reflects on it—Indian batsman KL Rahul made that clear.
In the semi-final, his strike rate was close to 200. But in the final, it dropped drastically to just 61.68! After that World Cup 2023 final against Australia, Rahul faced heavy criticism, with social media erupting in a storm of trolls targeting him. This wasn’t the first time he had been at the receiving end of such backlash. Over time, Rahul has learned to deal with it.
And it’s not just him—this is the reality for athletes worldwide. There was a time when criticism was limited to traditional media. But today’s athletes face an entirely different challenge. Social media has become an inseparable part of people’s lives, making it nearly impossible for athletes to avoid or ignore trolls. Everyone has their own way of coping with it.
For Rahul, the most frequent criticism revolves around his strike rate. Take the World Cup final in Ahmedabad, for instance—he scored 66 runs off 107 balls. His partnership with Virat Kohli for the fourth wicket added 67 runs in 109 balls, with Rahul contributing 37 off 67.
Because of his batting style, he has often been labeled “selfish” on social media.
However, in the ongoing Champions Trophy, he hasn’t given his critics much room to complain. So far, India has played two matches, and he got to bat in only one—against Bangladesh—where he remained unbeaten on 41 off 47 balls, helping secure a victory.
With a semi-final spot already secured, India will play their final group-stage match against New Zealand on Sunday. At a press conference in Dubai on Friday, Rahul was asked about handling criticism and trolls, especially in light of his World Cup final performance.
Rahul admitted that he doesn’t pay attention to most things but does consider valid criticism.
“This (trolling) has been happening for years now. I’ve gotten used to seeing, hearing, and reading it. But sometimes, I do sit back and reflect—how valid is this criticism? If someone writes something constructive, or if I hear something that makes sense… If I analyze the match situation and realize, ‘Yes, I could have played a bit faster,’ then of course, I take it into account. I work on it in training and try to improve.”
“That doesn’t mean I go into a match thinking, ‘I need to improve my strike rate because of what’s being said.’ I focus on what’s best for the team and myself in that particular situation. I won’t always get it right—I’ll fail at times, misread game situations, and that’s just the nature of cricket. But as long as my intentions are right and I believe I took the best approach to win the game, I can sleep peacefully at night. That being said, I do read a lot of these things, and if I find them logical, I take them into consideration.”
